Oldbies suggestions

My two cents...

I am guilty of welcoming people pretty much the same way I guess. In my opinion, it is indeed the thought that counts. I just wanted to welcome new folks since the Title of this particular forum is called "Welcome New Users". I don't see anything wrong with it really. Some may want to post something unique everytime or send new folks PMs and what not...I just didn't. I didn't mean to be "robotic" or anything. I thought I was being nice like I normally do in R/L when I say hello to strangers in passing.

If others don't like that...no problem. I'll stop it then.

 

I am guilty of welcoming people pretty much the same way I guess.

I guess we all are when it comes right down to it, don't feel gulity though. What we're trying to do is begin a new ways of welcomeing newbies.

 

Skiara: ?Should we do that (what you suggested, Dan)?...may be I am a bit too enthusiastic and Morgaine should say something about that?.... sorry, if I am a bit too enthusiastic.?

Sabine, you rule! And enthusiasm is good, but I think we should definitely wait for Morgaine's input. Also, I think we should keep the practice of sending PMs to newbies strictly informal and voluntary. I myself, will definitely be sending PMs to newbies, who are either fellow Canadians or über-Obi-Wan and/or Björk fans.
[image=http://www.climbingsource.com/canada/canada.gif][image=http://64.227.26.45/Grilled-Sarlacc/c/kenobi/001.jpg] [image=http://unit.bjork.com/specials/pics/magz/Amica09.jpg]

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[b]Lady_Jedi_Carenix[/b]: ?[i]?and see if they have anything more to say once they've been greeted.[/i]?

That is an excellent practice, [b]Lady_Jedi_Carenix[/b]. [face_wink] And another excellent practice to get around this issue, which I see many of our [b][color=darkgoldenrod]oldbies[/b][/color] doing in the [i]intro/welcome threads[/i] already, is to pose gentle, prodding questions to the [b][color=darkgreen]newbies[/b][/color] to see if you can elicit more information about them and hopefully bring them out of their shells. [face_happy]

 

I think contacting someone new can be tricky. I've read countless profiles and come across people who rarely post. If someone PM me while I was on my first trip through I think it would have thrown me off. People progress at different paces. Sending someone a PM before they get a feel for the place might be too much. That being said, there's no reason people can't make the most of the situation.

 

Well there's a lot to be said about what you just stated. First off, we want newbies to feel comfortable in the forum, we don't want newbies to think oldbies are just blowing them off. It's their choice to send a PM back But I do see where you are coming from, I really do.

 

Well i think what we should do is maybe if you see a newbie welcome thread you should insted of posting the 'robotic' message just PM them, now if we do this i think we should cut down the number of welcomes to 3 or so a week but make sure a couple of things first, 1 is to look when the newbie came and if theyre a week old or somethin just think it over, and secondly make sure someone posts in the thread just incase noone PM's them. I know from now on ill PM the new members and ill ask them were theyre from and theyre interests etc, i know i would rather one meaningful PM over 20 robotic posts. But thats just my opinion.

 

A very interesting read! I really like some of the ideas I've seen here.
Keep 'em coming.

However, this is only a post to let you know I'm still sick. I drop by whenever I can, but it's hard to write anything reasonable when your head hurts as much as mine does at the moment.

Thanks again to everyone who sent messages wishing me well.

 

well if you want you can appoint me as stand in MOD , nah im kiddin, make sure you get better soon, there will be a void here without your wonderful posts.

 

Jedi_Benji we're doing this for suggetions not to become a MOD

 

Any other suggestions am I here alone? Jedi_benji JediDBM Morgain?

 

No Skimaniac, you are not alone, but I just dont know what else to offer here. I am finding it is a lot harder than I thought to post a unique, meaningful message to each Newbie, does that make me dull? LOL

 

I have to admit, I am guilty of cutting and pasting a greeting from a word document and posting it in a newbies welcome thread.

In the middle of the post I try and add a message pertaining to the newbie on what the newbie has said in his or her message and/or in his or her bio. This can be very difficult sometimes when a newbie gives hardly any information.

eg:

Hello and Welcome [Insert Name here]

[Insert Personalised Message here]

If you have any questions/comments/concerns or just want to chat, feel free to drop me a Private Message.

I haven't been welcoming new members very regularily at the moment, although I think it is very important to do so.

Even if it is an automated message, or just a simple "Welcome" post, we need to make our new members feel welcome and special.

It is the thought that counts.

 

I've been reading the 2 pages of posts and i found the topic really interesting.

"I admit, it took me a week to make it to the Welcome boards."

JediDBM, worry not, to me... it took.... 9 months.

Hey, i'm a big fan of Qui-Gon Jinn! My char uses 2 sabers. One of them is a green one (in honor to qui-gon). Just love him.


I think you already made excelent suggestions and i don't know if i have more to had on that matter, but i will surelly try to be always fresh and unique on my welcomes specially if i'm the first one to reply to the newbie. (if i see that others already did, i give a "normal" welcome. And avoid repeating what others already said.) But i agree that is not always as easy at it looks.

I really feel well here, and that's why i keep comming back. Ppl are very nice to me here, and that just motivates me to equal that to the others. In other places when you feel that others are flamming or trolling with you you tend to become hostile in your replies, and that does not improves one's hospitality, when newer users appear.

In here, one can really put his "defenses" down. It's like mirrors. We are like mirrors to each others, we reflect the treathment that we receive. If all are just lovely to us and respect us, we tend to react the same way, reflecting the treathment we received. If we find some ppl that are not like that, we tend to "raise shields" again, damaging all the work the good ppl had. And this is also a reflection of a bad environment. Takes only one rock to break the mirror, so the good is really not having any rocks at all. And this forum has made a great job on it. I'm still impressed. And that brings up the good in me while here.

Also about the PM, i agree that one should explain how a pm is sent, as a newbie (being a newbie) probably still hasn't figure out how to work with it. I also tend to agree that sending a pm to a newbie can be either good or bad. And being in doubt of doing bad, i prefer not to send at all, and rather explain how to send to me if they are interested. (Even I don't know how would i react if I was the newbie and received a pm on the first day, mainly because i still hadn't got to know the "atmosphere" on these boards and for that my "shields" would still be up.)

Get better mommy ^_^

 

Well said, WhiteHorse! That was a great post!

[image=http://members.shaw.ca/dan_hogan/Emoticons/Smileys/Thumbs_Up.gif]

 

Good Job Whitehorse !!!

 

Good post Whitehorse!
I think we all are pretty much in agreement on this topic, be positive, TRY to be creative (easier said than done, lol), say hi, but not too aggressive, feel the newbie out (reactions) make him/her feel welcome, offer to be of assistance if they need it, but let them explore the site, view some of the other posts on here. I think Morgaine, I wouldnt change anything from where we are at right now, just if there is a "bad" post (one that wouldnt reflect well on the JC) remove it, I think that can be done, can't it? I haven't seen any negative posts, so I can only assume, if there are any, they are removed. Hope everybody has a wonderful day it is 8:00 in the morning here.

 

This is a very good topic, thanks for bringing it up Benji.

I agree that sometimes it may seem as if the responses are robotic. What I can say is that it is difficult to put in more personal things when the poster just says "hi!". Generally, my post is to say hi and welcome. If they give more information, I will generally comment.

However, your point is well taken and I think it would be a good idea for everyone to take a quick look in the newbie's profile and see if there's any thing in there in which to comment and ask questions about.

Obviously, making our new people feel welcome is what this forum is all about.

Hope you feel better Morgaine!

 

Sheesh, I've been out of action for a while.

It's scary out there.


//gets comfortable

 

Well welcome back AlphaWolf from a Newbie, JediDBM

 

thank you all.
I hope that my mirrors analogy made some sense.

Before, i was a little timid about posting outside my ff. Mainly because i saw those colored names and that made me a bit scared... afraid to be ignored and/or despised by the big boys. Remember that song on "Prince of Egipt" "You playing with the big boys now"? Something like that...
That was like i felt. I was a little intimidated.

Note that i felt intimidated like that even after being registered for 9 months and already having hundreds of post and being an active poster. And i think this is also important, as i would not get surprised that other "midbies" also (and still) fell like i felt.

But one day, i was here really early. And posted (as always) inside my ff, but then i noticed I was the first posting in all ffeurope, and then (felling less scared of the neighbours, because i saw them as equal) i started to give the good mornings in the other ff to the other persons that started posting in that morning. Thats how i got to know Morgaine, she was on one of those boards (but i didn't know that until she replied). She treated me really nice, and she was a manager (colored name). So that meant a lot to me, and gave me the confidence later to start posting on all places also, along with the "big boys".

She really broke the barrier i had.
So that's why if i have an Adopter it must be her and no one else
Thank you Morgaine
You are now my "Mommy". And i hope i am a good "son" and make my "mommy" proud

She's really a great contribution to us all. (as are others that i got to know in here) And i really want to reflect her example


-------Edit:----------
Hello AlphaWolf
You going to the Paris meeting?

 

i analised my logs, and i've been completly unfair. And i would like to apologize to Skiara. She was the one who received me on FFGermany and really made conversation with me.

Obi anne also gave me the welcomes on FF Sweden.

Morgaine, Rox and Obi Anne i've meet when i created the ffportugal banner and color scheme. They complemented the banner. And with that, they started to make me feel more at ease about (colored usernames), and that was also what made me feel later at ease to post on my neighbours ff's. And then thanks to nice reception by skiara i was even more motivated to start "discovering" and "exploring" other forums.

I've then seen Obi Anne showing her self to become and adopter. I, by confusion, thinked on Morgaine instead of Obi Anne, and pm her for she to take me. And she accepted me! I only noticed this later. But i'm in no way sorry that i was adopted by morgaine.. And i really think i was lucky, because i was a midbie and she wasn't even on the adopters list.
I'm just sorry for being unfair on my latest post.

Even so, i got to meet morgaine better, and i think she's wonderfull. Couldn't imagine a better adopter.

Now that i've corrected things (or so i hope) I will now dig an hole and hide.

 

* peaks from inside the hole *

Why can't you type anymore?

* ducks and hides again *
(oh my i am so ashamed, please carry on with the topic. i think i touched a subject that could be discussed. "midbies and others that only post on their ff and still hadn't explore posting in other places")

 

Well I've had a few newbies PM me and I talk to them so I think my welcome sounds very welcoming.