What's up with Introductions?

[DL]

I'm not doing this to insult anyone

 

Far from it, really.

 

All I want to know is.......because I have heard some members and even some new members who CREATED THE THREADS point this out...

 

Some of the welcomes here we give are so...copypasted.

 

Like, just telling them to read the rules, giving them a basic dont spam/flame thing...

 

And then telling them to have fun.

 

 

Now its not ALWAYS the case....

 

But I just didnt feel like that was right. We don't wanna give the impression we're that boring do we?

 

Now I'm not sure if that was ever a rule, I'm pretty sure it was, but why DO we copypaste (pretty much) greetings? We don't do that in real life...it just seems awkward and robotic to me...

 

 

You know where I'm getting at YCM?

[OmegaWave]

Thing is, I give the same greetings to just about everyone irl "Hey, what's up?". I mean....what else can we say?

[DL]

Saying hey whats up is fine.

 

But as a first thing to EVERYONE, saying like read the rules, enjoy your stay, ask a mod if you need help, etc...to me it sounds...robotic...

 

If you look at mines I try to personalize my greetings.

 

 

Im not saying theres anything BAD about it...I just feel they should be more personalized...otherwise we can just make ONE thread with that info and make the new members go there.

[Thar]

I agree, people need to spice up their welcomes.

[Dracoswag]

Unique welcomings and generally showing your a good sport is what welcoming should be all about. Make new users feel welcome and not just the vanilla "Hello and welcome. Follow Rules. Have Fun". It seems bland and can drive new users away >.>

[DL]

See what I mean?

Both old and new users can see this...

 

 

 

I mean...if youve TRULY got nothing else to say....but EVERY TIME?

And yeah Im lookin at you Sakura XD

 

Sorry XP

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

I'm not the only one who uses the same intro over again, you know. (For the record, some of them are personalized) <_<

 

Granted, having a different intro would be nice to keep things fresh; but the usual "follow the rules" business does need to be mentioned, so they understand since many things that are in said intros aren't listed in the rules (i.e. why YCM hates attachments [which a lot of new members seem to do when posting cards], don't abuse the curse filter like a certain member is doing, etc.)

 

You should know why such things need to be said/emphasized, given the behavior of particular users at times who apparently don't get it (hence why a lot of people want them gone).

[Dracoswag]

I'm not the only one who uses the same intro over again, you know. (For the record, some of them are personalized) <_<

 

Granted, having a different intro would be nice to keep things fresh; but the usual "follow the rules" business does need to be mentioned, so they understand since many things that are in said intros aren't listed in the rules (i.e. why YCM hates attachments [which a lot of new members seem to do when posting cards], don't abuse the curse filter like a certain member is doing, etc.)

 

You should know why such things need to be said/emphasized, given the behavior of particular users at times who apparently don't get it (hence why a lot of people want them gone).

A lot of good points there Sakura, and I agree completely that the "Follow the rules" statement should be standard, though, we really do not want to make new users feel out of place right? Maybe try to say something funny/random once in a while. Talk minimal smack about another user (with consent and no intention to insult of course) General things to make them know that we can be a fun group

[DL]

Now I definitely get your point JMax, but like I said, we CAN just have a PINNED thread on Introductions with all the basic knowledge that we often tell all the new members. That way we can just point them towards the thread, then have different greetings for them XP

What we often get is

 

Member 1: Welcome to YCM, make sure to read the rules and have fun.
New Member: Why thank you :3
Member 2: Hey, welcome. Yeah, like Member 1 said, make sure to read the rules. Enjoy yourself
New Member: .....thank you? o3o



If we had a thread in Introductions with the BASIC knowledge new members should have, such as reading the rules, asking mods or any experienced member if they need help, not posting attachments, etc, that would help the quality of our intros.

 

 

 

Also DeMarx, the one fault I can see with that is that not everyone is 'funny' per se..not to say I wouldnt do that, cuz I love fun greetings.

But for those members who would still like a serious greeting of sorts, it doesnt meant they CANT be personalized or 'fun' right? XD

[Northern Sage]

Now I definitely get your point JMax, but like I said, we CAN just have a PINNED thread on Introductions with all the basic knowledge that we often tell all the new members. That way we can just point them towards the thread, then have different greetings for them XP

What we often get is

 

Member 1: Welcome to YCM, make sure to read the rules and have fun.
New Member: Why thank you :3
Member 2: Hey, welcome. Yeah, like Member 1 said, make sure to read the rules. Enjoy yourself
New Member: .....thank you? o3o



If we had a thread in Introductions with the BASIC knowledge new members should have, such as reading the rules, asking mods or any experienced member if they need help, not posting attachments, etc, that would help the quality of our intros.

 

 

 

Also DeMarx, the one fault I can see with that is that not everyone is 'funny' per se..not to say I wouldnt do that, cuz I love fun greetings.

But for those members who would still like a serious greeting of sorts, it doesnt meant they CANT be personalized or 'fun' right? XD

The problem is that most new members do not check threads like that, they just post, which is why that reminder persists.

So, instead of telling them to follow the rules, read stickied threads and so on, we redirect them to another thread that says such things, which is far less direct and effective.

What we are supposed to post in Introductions to greet newbs goes back to the point of the section in the first place. Are you supposed to just be a friendly face to say hello to a person? (Which is what most newer members do when they post in other peoples' topics there) Or guide them to how the site works by answering questions and redirecting to useful threads, or maybe offer help through PMs? There's only so many things you can say to the 300th newb who wants to show you his/her Naruto cards, in which case the problem with copy/paste becomes moot.

[Therrion]

I tend to respond, if I do, after someone else has responded. I usually respond to that responder, to create a conversation, and keep it about the new specimen.

Yes, the first welcome tends to be robotic but usually a conversation springs up if the person isn't just like "I'm Therrion. HI."

Thread should've been named "What's the deal....with Introductions?" as a Seinfeld reference.

[J-Max]

DL, I haven't responded to the Topic yet lol. I don't say Hi much myself as I like to see how the member contributes to the Forum and then Praise them and introduce myself.

[DL]

never watched Seinfeld.

 

 

And see thats the thing, Therrion. Some do the copypaste-kinda thing when its like the 6th or 7th reply in the thread and all that has been said before.

 

AGAIN, I am not saying this is BAD nor should it be PROHIBITED

 

I just wanted to see what YCM thought about it, and bring some awareness to this minor issue I've seen sometimes.

 

 

Also Therion, there's a lot you can say to a lot of new members. Because while some just go like...hi

 

There are some with actually well thought-out introductions, and its nice to get small convos going if yous ee something in their intro that interests you. You COULD just save yourself the trouble of copypasta the whole rules, mods, etc thing by just saying like

 

''BTW, you should check out the Newcomer Basics thread at the top of the section, it'll give you some nice tips on how to fit in here''

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

DL, I am quite proud of you. A lot of people complain about forums not being good communities (admittedly less here than elsewhere) but you are actually doing something about it. I guess the best bet would be the "Sakura Clause" but then a personal invitation, perhaps to the welcomer's favorite section, maybe even followed up with a PM. A greeting like that would make anyone feel special.

[Dracoswag]

This ^. I hope that we can all encourage that way of thinking because there are people who complain the forums are 'dead'. Well, if we show we are an awesome community and not just the "Hey there, welcome. Now you can do stuff" we would be a more thriving community (also, I think people just like to welcome new users just to up their post count unfortunately)

[Cin]

Does the filler matter? As long as we direct them to read the rules and tell them to pm if they need help

[DL]

Does the filler matter? As long as we direct them to read the rules and tell them to pm if they need help

Its not filler its called socializing

Which is what people come to forums for

 

Not to read the rules

 

So by givin more personalized welcomes we're actually not alienating new members and showin a bit of the forum's personality.

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

The problem is that most new members do not check threads like that, they just post, which is why that reminder persists.

So, instead of telling them to follow the rules, read stickied threads and so on, we redirect them to another thread that says such things, which is far less direct and effective.

What we are supposed to post in Introductions to greet newbs goes back to the point of the section in the first place. Are you supposed to just be a friendly face to say hello to a person? (Which is what most newer members do when they post in other peoples' topics there) Or guide them to how the site works by answering questions and redirecting to useful threads, or maybe offer help through PMs? There's only so many things you can say to the 300th newb who wants to show you his/her Naruto cards, in which case the problem with copy/paste becomes moot.

Exactly.

 

As I'm sure many of you noticed by now, some newbies disregard rule #5 to a fair extent in CC (i.e. multiple bumping and often before the 24-hour threshold for each). A recent post in Showcase that got flagged broke #6 since said member flamed everyone (called the rest of said members in thread the "f-word" for not knowing what "true art" is [@Yin: It's that BEWD/DMG OriCa one if it hasn't already been dealt with].

 

In a lot of welcome posts, we do tell newbies to behave properly and not cheat the swear filters we have on here (though a lot of members here do it; some more explicitly than others).

By reminding them that the rules are there and need to followed, it'll save them from being ostracized from YCM's social circles and will make their stays happier. We also tell them to take CnC properly and don't throw a tantrum if someone says your cards are horrible or that they need fixes (and yes, some of us have had to deal with members like those). I admit that it is somewhat harsh at first to tell new members that the rules are here and must be followed, but it needs to be done to get rid of any problems that may arise later on.

 

When we say "ask a moderator or one of the seniors for assistance", we actually mean it. The staff (for the most part) is happy to answer any form of questions that you may have concerning your YCM career. In a similar vein, some of the veteran members (such as myself) are willing to assist in whatever way we can.

 

As far as intros themselves go, a lot of the new members just say their name and that they want to have a good time here. That doesn't really give us a lot to work with in terms of suggesting where they should be going, other than probably the Custom Cards section or something. If they give a hint of their interests here, then I'll recommend them to a particular section or club that they may feel comfortable in. If they like the card game, then recommendations for the TCG section. Writers? Fanfic or RP says hi. GFXer? Showcase is open. I rather not recommend a member a section/club they do not wish to frequent throughout their stay, since some people do get offended if we think they'd like a certain place but in reality, they do not.

 

Again, as Thunderclap already noted in his post which I've quoted, there's not much you can tell a newbie who's only here to post his cards based of (insert anime/manga/TV show/comic) here, aside from the usual rules business. In actuality, most of the new members we get here are going to gravitate towards the cardmaker/CC section at some point [there are a few who go elsewhere]. Telling them to read Toyo and Aix's guides in the Realistic section would do them some good, because it makes it easier for members to grade their cards (if we can understand what the cards are supposed to be doing).

 

Given that DL is somewhat revolving this issue around me (given I usually say hi to the new members with the usual business), I suppose I should say something. I'm not posting in the newbie intro threads just because I want to increase my post count; I actually care about them being happy here. Given that I've been here for a while (despite going on break for almost 2 years), I'd like to make sure they understand/follow the rules and don't end up like ones that some of us want gone because of their attitude (they're unable to take CnC in the card/GFX sections or they post useless content in General, etc). Yes, it does give the feeling that intros are monotone if 15 or so members get the same intro post, but that's a reminder to them that if they want to be happy here and not have any enemies within YCM, they should follow advice we give them and also make sure they know what we don't like here. Time constraints are also a factor; sometimes we're busy with other things but wish to offer our welcomes so the time for writing a unique one is limited, so there's not much to do except for posting the "business" welcome (standard greeting, make sure they're ready to abide by the rules, hope that they'll enjoy their lives here and that help is always available should they require it)

 

YCM is a fun place to be, but like everywhere else, they need to be able to know what's expected of them. If I have to bring up coolspy and whatever he did in General/elsewhere on this site once again, then so be it...Be honest, do you want another incarnate of him (or whatever member[s] that some of the community dislikes at the moment)? Or would you like a member who gets along well with the community and stays for a couple years/positively contributes?

[Cin]

By filler I meant, the extra posted with the basics. Beyond the bare bones.

While a personalized introduction may seem like a good idea, we still need to get the basics in to any introduction we make. Do the new members agree with your OP? Is it really broken? I agree Thunderclap, people do have a tendency to just post anything in intros.

 

I did sort that Sakura. Just waiting to see what his reply is to his warning.

 

Maybe what should be considered is an update of the rules , and them be linked in the e-mail sent to members when they start. We could still have you read the rules, but not need to put it all the time.

[J-Max]

Isn't there a way of blocking a New Member access to the rest of the Forum until they have viewed a certain page and verified it? I have been on a few Forums that have done this (However most abused this by linking to Donation pages and the like) Then if they fully understand the rules then Introductions can be a much more upbeat and less robotic place.

[Tormented]

I mean I hate to be "That Guy" but we really don't have much personality as a collective group of people. There are literally three defining traits on this site.

 

A: Big Ego with barely anything to show for it (although this can be bent depending on specific users)

B: uguuu animu yaoi lovers

C: lel ub3r trollels

 

I've never agreed with introductions on forums, I believe they legitimately don't add much-especially considering the vast majority of people who post in it-don't last longer than a few weeks, perhaps it has something to do with the boring nature of comments, I can't say.

[Chiri Tsukikawa]

Isn't there a way of blocking a New Member access to the rest of the Forum until they have viewed a certain page and verified it? I have been on a few Forums that have done this (However most abused this by linking to Donation pages and the like) Then if they fully understand the rules then Introductions can be a much more upbeat and less robotic place.

There are also places where you have to post an introduction and have it verified by a moderator in order to post anywhere else on the site.

 

I know of at least one place like that with a huge message at the top of every page telling guests to read the rules, and then everyone still tells you to read the rules in your introduction thread.

 

But we don't need a message (if it were even possible) because we know people will tell the new user the basic things anyway (it must be done).

 

The problem with what you said is people can still skip it and click the button that verifies they read the rules, but at least it'd be something, I think.

 

[DL]

I mean I hate to be "That Guy" but we really don't have much personality as a collective group of people. There are literally three defining traits on this site.

 

A: Big Ego with barely anything to show for it (although this can be bent depending on specific users)

B: uguuu animu yaoi lovers

C: lel ub3r trollels

 

I've never agreed with introductions on forums, I believe they legitimately don't add much-especially considering the vast majority of people who post in it-don't last longer than a few weeks, perhaps it has something to do with the boring nature of comments, I can't say.

I certainly don't fit into all of that

 

And quite a few of my YCM buddies dont either...

 

And I know quite a few people here.

So IDK what you're talking about.

 

Also Introductions should be kept...if people want to be helpful and point out the rules to the new members, point out that they should contact a mod or experienced member if they need help, then thats good....

 

 

 

In fact I would love if YCM could implement that system that was mentioned above, where users must be redirected to the Basic Rules thread...doesn't need to be an ACTUAL rules thread...more of a....quick guide to follow if you're a noob...basically all that is said in the Intro threads frequently....

 

Then once they give it a quick read, they can process. It wouldnt be long so it wouldnt be that demanding...

 

ALSO

Some may argue that most will skip that and go straight to posting

 

 

But would we would really want someone like that in our forums?

 

 

Of course, activity in Introductions might drop a bit.....but...in the end, isnt quality better than quantity, YCM?


I know you feel me.

[Dracoswag]

I for one lurked on the forums before making my account and did read through the rules before I started posting, and I am slowly making progress with my posts here and there. I agree that it is important to direct them to the rules page and/or ask if they need help refer to a mod or yourself and what not. Though, a lot of users will often find themselves in awkward situations when they try to participate in the community and no one directly responds or gives them second notice (it could make them feel left out). Just my 2 cents.

[DL]

But if all new members had to go through a basic noob guide that could be like a few bullet points with no spamming, no flaming, asking mods for advice or if you have problems, etc, that wouldnt be necessary