1. What section/board are you most interested in? Community stuff, i don't really Play hacks :p
2. What other sections/boards do you want to venture in and and learn more about? Possibly trading section.
3. Are there any specific things you like to do while you're here? Become community and people to know me, and that i should know them obviously!
I'm really sorry to say this, but you'll be the last mentee for a little while. :( Cirno and I talked it out, and at the rate at which things are going, I currently believe that a break will help us fix some issues. It might be for weeks, or a few months; at this point in time, it's hard to say. But in a few paragraphs, I will be closing this thread, and it will remain closed until we fix the problems that the Adoption Center has been encountering.
Still, it wouldn't be fair to rob you of the privilege since you posted here before it was closed, so if you'd like a mentor for Trade Corner, we have
Livewire,
TwilightBlade and
tabor62 available. Pick one of those three, tell your choice in a message to
me or
Cirno through VM/PM, and we'll try to get you in touch. But this will be the last, at least for a few months.
To put it simply, the New Users / Welcome moderators think that closing the thread for a few months is for the best. Some problems that have been brought to the surface are really hampering on the joint effort. Sure, this joint effort was something that every mentor has contributed upon, to a moderate, yet commendable, amount of success. <3 But the problems were still there.
- First off, some mentees still think that the program is for helping them out with matters not covered by the Adoption Center. Asking for competitive battling help, breeding and IV help, or seeking aid on technical matters about the Pokémon games— these are just part of the problem, because mentees still tend to bring up queries solely related to their personal projects such as art, hacks, etc. rather than the forum, despite what is indicated in the first post. That's not how the mentorship works; we're here to help you get used to sections within the forum, not to act as a walking Bulbapedia / Serebii / Google / Emulation subforum. It might be an honest mistake, but it can really test the mentor's patience if you put things in perspective. It's stressful enough that you have a busy schedule and things to do, but having a mentee that mistakes the program for a way to help them with matters unrelated to the forum might just push you over the edge.
- Another problem was that more often than not, mentees fail to stay active enough after a couple of days into the program. Not understanding how mentorship works is one thing, but taking up a mentorship slot without staying active is another. Sure, new members rarely stick around, but if you plan on getting adopted, staying active should come with it. :< Some do stick around, but they rarely ask questions, so the point becomes moot real quick. Ask questions! Be inquisitive and ready to learn, because mentors won't know which areas you need help with unless you tell them yourself. Also, I noticed that some members, to the point of inactivity, become really scared of posting around when they get taken under someone's wing. But guys, this is just a forum! Don't be afraid to make mistakes, because if you're trying your best to follow the rules and not offend anyone, then minor flubs shouldn't intimidate you from posting around. If you get corrected, like if your post gets deleted or your thread is closed, then don't take it too personally. :( People are just trying to make the experience for everyone a little more streamlined, and more importantly, these same people only tell you that "Hey, you made a mistake," to learn from it. To grow. Not to generate flames. But I digress.
- In the end, the Adoption Center has just been really stressful to handle for everyone. Some mentees don't benefit a lot from it for reasons stated above. Mentors have expressed concern that it gets bothersome once in a while, too. And really, we'd be lying if we didn't say that it gets incredibly stressful to manage, a sentiment that Cirno has had especially, because she's been handling this thread on her own for almost half a year now. Just imagine how much stuff she had to deal with. It's something I can't even fathom.
Now, does this mean that mentees get dropped off in the middle of the PC desert, left alone to fend for themselves? Of course not. Despite all this,
current mentors and their respective mentees are still encouraged to continue with the mentorship like before. It's just that no new mentees will be accepted from now on, until the Adoption Center is ready to reopen. I'm sorry if you're a new mentee or a new mentor and wasn't able to experience the program to the fullest. It's gonna be a long wait until the Adoption Center reopens, but I hope that you can still go on with your daily lives despite that.
That being said, it's time to bid farewell. ;~; If you're a new member, you should never forget that it doesn't hurt to ask for help from fellow members or staff if you ask knowingly and kindly. Help comes in many shapes and sizes, and even if the Adoption Center temporarily removes itself from those options, I know that you can still make it through those newbie stages if you try. I was here before the Adoption Center even existed, along with countless others, so I suppose we can attest to that.
I wish you luck. I know that you'll get through that. Look out into the sea.
Until the Adoption Center comes back, keep on keeping on.