Novice Network has become unfriendly.

[Jojoya]

This, idle chat should be fine as long as questions aren't ignored as a result.

Problem is the questions are all too often not getting answered or even acknowledged because of the non-game related chat going on in many novice networks. I've watched sprouts get frustrated when the mentors ignore questions in favor of discussing current world event and less appropriate subjects. It frequently comes down to another sprout trying to be the helpful one instead of the mentors who are supposed to be there to help.

As Canadane said, the Novice Network would improve greatly if more people would stop acting like it's nothing more than a general chat and start using it for the reason it was created.