Elphaba

Hal:

In support of keeping new members, I have a few suggestions that seemed to work in the only other forum I have participated in. I know you are reworking the Newbie forum so perhaps you have already considered my suggestions. My thoughts are:

1. Please don't call them newbies, noobs, or anything like that because those terms are not respectful of a new member. I recommend that your forum be give another, more encouraging name such as "Welcome New Members... read this first". or something like that.

2. You can get far more personal and proactive with your welcome to new members than currently exists. In that other forum I mentioned, new members were primary to the owner in growing the board. He gave focus to new members with the use of "mini-mods." (My term, not his) They were volunteers and chosen by the mods for a defined period of time. Six months proved to be too long, so I recommend three months of temporary service to the Welcome Forum.

3. Temp "Mini-Mods" or any other participant of your choice, should pick up a new member at the time that they have passed through your screening. I am certain that you must have an auto-message welcome, but is it possible to copy to a mini-mod for a personal welcome? These new members haven't yet posted to the introduction topic, and the intent is to encourage them to post there from the get-go, rather than to lurk. The message can even be very boiler-plate in encouraging that first post, which allows for a followup post addressing the new members particular interests.

Example: Elph, welcome to tfp and we look forward to your participation. Our members have many interests, and if you will share your interests when introducing yourself (link), we will be able to guide you to the forums that you might enjoy most on this board.

If I can offer my personal assistance in addressing any questions you may have, please reply to this private message.

I am looking forward to your introductory post, and getting to know you.

Pen

____________________

This did work, but it was a much smaller board than this one. Hence, my suggestion for temporary volunteers. Once a new member introduced themselves and hopefully provided their interests, a second level of response would occur. The person is serious now by this post, and a serious welcome is in order by anyone that shares this person's interests.

The way I handled that was to respond to the post that "Member X" seems to know most about that, or our members interested in photography can be found in these threads (links). That level of participation with new members requires dedicated folks and I think you have many of those.

My 2 cents, Hal. Truce?

__________________
"You can't ignore politics, no matter how much you'd like to." Molly Ivins - 1944-2007