Jos Ling

My experience helping newbies on the Help Islands (the Orientation Islands haven't been used for a long time) is that age is one of the main factors governing whether someone has the patience (attention span?) to stick with SL long enough to enjoy it. I don't normally ask the RL age of a newb but it is often provided even when unsolicited. The people who claim to be 18 to 20 simply can't stand in one place for more than a few seconds (my guess is that a significant fraction of those should be in the Teen Grid). Those over 30 are much more likely to actually listen to an answer to their question. If it is fair to say that younger people are, in general, more technically adept, then this age/attention span effect may explain the statistic Tateru mentioned.

By the way, if anyone wants to see a well done self-guided orientation, check out Virtual Abilities. Its the best I've seen.