Better training in Second Life will result in better resident retention according to the co-founders of Orientation  Station, the new orientation island that opened yesterday. Ron Chavira (Dirk Talamasca in Second Life) and Lenore Collins (Savannah Glimmer in SL) combined forces to plan and design the new training island, bringing on Liam Kanno of V3 Group to handle the build and Fox Diller to develop the Registration API.

"The basics (of the Reg API) were to make it easy to use, quick, responsive and to feel more like an application than a 'humanless' form," said Diller at the press conference announcing the opening of the island. "The backend however, is quite powerful. It allows Orientation Station to discovered were people leave the process, why they left, and any/all errors a user has experienced with the registration process."

The Orientation Station estate consists of five regions beginning with the Welcome Area where residents can choose translations for their training in over 20 languages. The other regions address specific training needs.

Scholar provides extensive tutorials and resources for educators. Genius is geared toward companies and business clients needing quick, four-minute tutorials as well as professional attire and assistance with in-world business and economics. Clever offers more fun and a more "cool" appearance for new residents. Bright is both a resident portal and a reservation portal for VIPs; celebrities; and family and friends who want to enter Second Life together or for a specific function.

"This area will provide branding, one-on-one mentor assistance and provisions to have current residents greet their parties in the welcome area," explained Glimmer. "We represent all residents who want to enter Second Life and have an improved training experience."

Orientation Station, which took over six months to create, currently has over 120 mentors or mentors-in-training from around the globe who are part of the Metaverse Mentors group and volunteer their services to the island.

All regions merge into Orientation Station where residents can receive advanced training and additional mentoring as well as viewing exhibits representing SL culture and diversity.

Said Talamasca, "New residents are especially susceptible to influences that may visit the islands. This is why Linden Lab makes their experience private. New residents are here to learn and move off into the platform."

Added Glimmer, "Our goal is improved user education about the SL tools, its environment and to answer those frequently asked questions often heard by new residents. Our ultimate goal is to be a part of a greater virtual metaverse that includes Second Life as well as other virtual environments."

Forty sponsors are represented in Orientation Station with panels providing landmarks, links to Web sites and messaging capabilities. According to Glimmer, they have a waiting list for additional sponsors and will bring on more as they expand the station and build additional regions.

Anyone interested in using the Orientation Station tutorials should IM Savannah Glimmer or Dirk Talamasca for a group invitation to OStationKnowledge. Registration is available at http://www.orientationstation.com/.