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?
Do what I do... just...keep...posting. I guess there is no promise of replies. But, so what? Express yourself.
I can add nothing to your post, excellent and well said!
I mean new ROE?
AGREED! Isn't he adorable?
Beating up on new kids is an American tradition.
Point taken, though.
No.
I'll gladly be on the welcoming committee and will be the keeper of the Welcome Ping list if no one else has volunteered.
Run your cursor over their name. It will show you their sign up date. For instance, mine shows that I have been here exactly 10 years and one day. :)
You don't need HTML for paragraph breaks if you don't use HTML at all.
As I pointed out to Jimrob yesterday: 'I just checked how we were doing three months ago today. We only had 36% of the 80,000 total in (didn’t include monthlies at that point of course).' At that point we were up to 78% (with the monthlies).
Snarky comments work better when you have your facts straight.
I would appreciate that.
Hey, I like it!!
-- LCS (Class of 2000)
How about a 10-post moratorium before one can post their own thread/link to their blog? I like to link to other blogs here (MM, TAH, etc), but not to mine. That being said, anyone who exclusively pimps their own blog (and of course, you’ll have a much better feel for that than the average poster) can and should get the ZOT.
I decided that I didn't want to spend hours arguing with people who were, no matter what, determined to drive me off this board. It was a pointless exercise in time-wasting. I am found on only a few threads now, and the attitude you described (which extends to those who don't tow the "approved" line, whether newbie or long-time member) is why.
I suggest that those who are puzzled by my absence review the posts around the time of the early primaries of 2008 and perhaps look in the mirror.
I always thought surviving the initial abuse was a bit like running the gauntlet - if you could survive it, then you were a FReeper.
But I guess I can be welcoming - alot of these young’uns sure can be a sensitive bunch can’t they?
Add me to the welcome wagon!
“I think the biggest mistake newbies make is that they have a “mr. know it all” attitude.
Some also like to post vanities where they are lecturing people.
If the new ones could add some humility to their first posts, it would go a long long way to solving the “hostility” problem.”
Maybe part of the welcome wagon could include a primer on proper newby etiquette?
The kitties are so cute - I think people just like looking at them.
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