Welcome, and Thanks! [New Posters In Particular, Please Read]

[Admin Moderator]

Yesterday was, by the measure of distinct posters, the busiest day ever in the history of Free Republic, as 4,282 distinct usernames posted. Fan-freepin'-tastic. This beat the previous record by a dozen or two.

Even more impressive, yesterday was the busiest day in the history of Free Republic as measured by total articles + replies, with a whopping 31,153. The previous record was somewhat below 30,000.

Signups had their 8th highest day ever, behind 7 consecutive days after the 2000 elections.

I would like to thank everyone on behalf of the rest of the staff for everyone's help in making things continue to run smoothly, for pointing out disruptors, and for keeping the discussion lively but (for the most part) civil. Abuse has not increased with load, and for that we are grateful.

To all the new posters, welcome. If you have questions about how things work, feel free to ask them on this thread. I am sure many freepers will be happy to chime in with help.

Some recent threads which might be helpful to newbies:

HTML help can be found on this thread and this thread.

At one time, someone had started collecting information for a Free Republic FAQ. The effort died, but there is some good information on that thread here.

Some information about graphics etiquette can be found on this thread.

The site's owner, Jim Robinson, has asked for some consideration regarding posting articles to the sidebars. More here.

Speaking of sidebars, this thread has all you need to configure which topics show up for you as sidebars, and in what order. More here.

What are vanities? They are posts that start threads, where instead of being an article from another source, the article is written by the person posting the thread. What do you need to know about vanities? This thread should help. It also has some words on types of posts that are not welcome here.

I forgot to add one of the most important things. Be careful about Loose Lips posts. Sometimes this gets controversial and some don't see the point, but we would rather err on the side of caution when it comes to our military. Thanks.

Welcome aboard, and God Bless our troops!

PS: Search before posting.

[Admin Moderator]

I pulled the original copy of this so I could repost it as Admin Moderator. Thanks, AM

[Neets]

I pulled the original copy of this so I could repost it as Admin Moderator. Thanks, AM

I am truly saddened, and disappointed that you failed to use the diplomatic skills necessary to keep YOURSELF out of this. AM indeed...Bahhhh

[tomkat]

eggggg-cellent news !

[anniegetyourgun]

The Chicks should be looking to themselves for their own demise. It's the stations and fans who are rejecting their unAmerican stance. But I guess it's easier to blame FR than to to blame those who pay your bills.

[eureka!]

Bump for a hearty welcome to all of the new Freepers and lurkers.

And kudos and thanks to Jim, John, the Admin Moderators and all others who make this the wonderful, America-loving e-community it has become.

[Tijeras_Slim]

If I stayed online any more than I do, I could blame FR for not being able to pay my bills! :)

[JeeperFreeper]

Thank You!!!!!
Heck, if the Nobel Peace Prize committee was worth more than a popcorn fart in a hurricane, Jim Rob, the staff and Free Republic would be nominated and win.

[gramho12]

Thanks for the info. I think part of the added interest is not only the war, but the free publicity FR has received, thanks to the likes of the Dixie Chicks manager and the "vast right-wing conspiracy" theory. So some people who have not heard of FR are checking it out, and seeing that this is a great, informative site with a wide variety of members.

Keep up the good work...

[CholeraJoe]

I just read the homepage of the Admin Moderator(s). I may never be able to clean the coffee off my monitor.

[Admin Moderator]

We had 257 new posters yesterday (surprising relatively few trolls), and have had over 100 new posters every day since 2-3-03.

[freedom4ever]

I was just curious as to how many ZOTS (disruptors) you have per day? I see some about everyday, but I'm sure not all.

[tutstar]

bttt

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Ditto.

[Manic_Episode]

I am new here. Nice for you all to meet me.
You guys rock.

[Admin Moderator]

If you mean newbies who get banned after their first post or two (even if they let their account age a bit before posting), I would say it averages about 20 or so. But there are quite a few each day that the system catches trying to sign back up (autobans).

And in all likelihood, it probably is something on the order of 10 new banned people a day, plus 5 or 6 other people who literally sign up multiple accounts every single day.

Thanks, AM

[Dog]

Just in case the hamster dies with all the load....I will post the backup hamster..

Don't mind him he is a tad excited with all the good news..

[Happygal]

100 new posters every day? Wow!!!

How many people are signed up to FR now? That's Freepin' fantastic. :-)

Oh and, I nearly forgot! :-)

Welcome Newbies

[Admin Moderator]

That would be fine. Or, if it has some substance to it, you can post it in the news forum under the topic "vanity" (also knowns as "Your Opinions/Questions").

Thanks, AM

[Admin Moderator]

Glad you like it ;-)