Posted on 10/26/2009 4:32:01 PM PDT by Admin Moderator
This is a public service announcement from your friendly neighborhood Admin Moderators (Sidebar gave us some attitude so we shoved him in the closet for a while. He never recovered from the Yacht incident) For a while, we have noticed some things happening that we need your help with. The Free Republic community is strong; we are almost a family, albeit very dysfunctional at times. Like any community, we have new members joining us daily. Unfortunately, the air of suspicion and the desire to keep things “the way they are” has fostered a feeling of distrust with new members. Almost every day, we see new members join, then, because of comments of suspicion, they often don’t return. For any community to thrive, it must grow. Because of this, we are asking for your help. Here are some important things you should know:
The Internet has changed greatly since Free Republic first started. When we formed, few people had their own websites, now, everyone has their own blog. With this, there is an attitude change where someone who doesn’t understand how our community works may be more interested in self-promotion than we have been used to in the past. We don’t want to change the overall feel of this site- it is about our shared values, not about self promotion, however, we don’t want to drive people away simply because they link to their own blog. There are blog “pimps” who want nothing more than to promote their own sites, but for most people, it is simply how they start out sharing their thoughts on a matter. Encourage these members to take part in existing discussions.
Many new members may not communicate well what they believe and it gives the appearance they are not 100% kosher in their Conservative beliefs. This may have nothing to do with their Conservative credentials but simply how they are communicating their beliefs or how the media/pop culture has told them what to think. Be an example and discuss what you think is wrong. A liberal troll’s true colors will reveal themselves while a new member who is honest, but may not communicate well, may learn from the conversation.
Remember, how you respond to a topic not only reflects your thoughts, but also is a reflection of the community and Conservative values. We need to be an example of positive conservative values when responding to members, especially new ones. As mods, we make a strong attempt to screen all new members. Every new sign-up goes through a period where their posts are reviewed. This helps us eliminate most trolls, porn and commercial spammers, and those who don’t fit in with our Conservative values. This isn’t a perfect system, but it does help us make sure that by the time a new member reaches the community, there is a greater chance this person is the type we want around. Some slip through, yes, and you can always help us by hitting the abuse button. (of course, we do let some world class morons through every once in a while as “Live Chow”- after all, the kitties have to have toys.)
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With all that said, we need to grow. We need to be far more welcoming to new members and guide them into how to use our community best. With this said, we are issuing a challenge to our long time Freeper family. We would like to start up a ‘welcome wagon’ type of ping list or group whose job it is to welcome new members, show them the ropes, and guide them through our community. This could be as simply as giving new members a kind welcome, guiding them to how to post topics or replies, or just making the experience pleasant.
As this is your community, we would like your thoughts, ideas, and most importantly, for some of you to step up and help us with this.
We are passing the ball to you. What do you think?
I should be doing something.
I think I’ll drink some coffee.
I might drink some tea. Maybe. Or not.
I’m just waiting for the mail to be dispensed so I can go to the PO and see what bills are haunting me.
OK. Coffee it is!
Got any “two”s, “to”s, or “too”s?
Yes.
We’re back. Good sales!
:o])
How are you today?
Wish I had slept longer. The news this morning was not good. New flight rules thanks to the attempted NWA bombing: can't leave your seat in the last hour of flight, can't have anything in you lap including pillows, etc. None of which would have done a thing to prevent the bombing. Idiots. [fuming] *\>:-(
Yes, idiots.
I’m OK. Still a little depressed, but that will end, sooner or later.
Since “Kingdom Of Heaven” came today, I watched it and put it back in the mail. Maybe I’ll have another for Monday, if it gets processed. Seems the scan at PO counts as a return.
Ohboy. The only thing I’ll have in my lap is my clenched fists with white knuckles.
Sounds like a good idea.
Happy Second Day of Christmas.
In keeping with old tradition my husband will get the rest of his gifts on January 6th.
(Mostly because the PO apparently lost his stuff. Amazon is reshipping.)
"Up" is also good but keep the hankies near by I started crying during the first few minutes.
It looks as though you’ll have to upgrade your tech again.
What you’ll need now is a virtual display, and perhaps a virtual keyboard as well. Maybe some touch-sensitive gloves.
Want me to invent something?
I signed up for it.
I’ve seen both. I recommend both.
Ohno. Not a hanky movie...!
*sigh*
I’ll keep that in mind. Right now, my Q is 100 and growing.
Poor hubbie took me to it to cheer me up, after all what could be more cheerful then a movie about a guy who ties multiple balloons to his house and floats away from it all?
Well..... let's just say that the backstory is a little less cheerful.
Oh. So I will get it, watch it at 2X forward and send it back, so I don’t have to listen? Eek!
Still since you recommended it, I’ll watch it. ;o]
It looks like we're going to go tour Anoreth's ship.
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