Just curious.. Why do you/ Don't you post in the welcome forums?

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

I think posting there is really important. It can be the change of events when you first join the forum and you are little unsure what is going on then you create topic there and see that people respond to you and are there for you  welcoming you with open arms =)=)=)  

 

I don't know If I would be so active here if no one responded into my topic. If that happens it would feel like a failure. It feels that "I dont belong here" "I am not wanted here". 

 

Giving a happy good first impression to new members is essential. I myself try to post in every topic there and encourage others to do the same. 

[Winterbass 763]

Besides the four or five times I posted something in the Welcoming Plaza, I never visit it or post there. I guess the reason for that is that I feel like I come across as too serious or formal to be a person who'd be able to make people feel welcome in the forums. Besides that, I don't think the Welcome Plaza is what makes people stay. People stay for all kinds of reasons. Even though when I posted a thread in there and got lots of welcomes, I didn't stay there just because of some posters welcoming me. I stay here for the interesting threads.

 

People find different purposes to stay in a forums. For some it's meeting new people, PMing with them. For some it's to kick back and relax in the Forum Lounge and Forum Games section. For others it's the interesting topics, the amount of (friendly) debating they can have. Welcoming them is just a small part of reeling them in, but everyone stays for a different reason. I feel like that even if not a single person welcomed me, I'd have stayed anyway regardless of how many hellos or welcomes I'd get. And I think this goes for most people too, depending on what they seek in a forum. I also feel like that the people who'd leave just because they had hardly any welcomes wouldn't stick around for long even when they'd get a hundred of them. But that's just my side of the coin.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Winterbass

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

I posted there all of the time when I was a newbie, but I don't anymore because of the fact I just don't like meeting new people at this point in my life. Too many other things to manage, and it's not like I was a very easy person to talk to at any point in my life, let alone just my time on these forums

My desire to meet new people just stopped is what it all comes down to, I guess.
 

[TheJLeeTeam 914]

I posted in the welcome forums because I thought it was only proper to introduce myself before I post. If I didn't I would probably be less appealing as a user who came out of nowhere.

[Envy 6,163]

Posting in the welcome forum is really a once in a blue moon thing for me. I might do it if something about the member's name catches my eye (like they play a woodwind instrument lol) or if it might be someone I know from another community. Nevertheless, I don't really even look at the section, so it is very rare for me to even notice such a thing. lol

 

Perhaps my ability/incentive to be social on forums has just crashed and burned... or maybe I just don't consider myself an important enough member, either way (or both ways) I just don't post there.

[Jackleberry 1,922]

I don't.

 

I used to do it back in my earlier days IIRC, but I think I had trouble coming up with 'unique' responses for each thread, so eventually I stopped. :|

[Poetic Stone 1,041]

I love the welcome center, I know when I first arrived here on the forums, it was awesome. Lots of cool ponies greeted me, and were very nice so I know how it feels to be made welcome. So  I try my best to greet as many new ponies as I can cause it feels good to be welcomed by like minds.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

I do browse the welcoming forum from time to time. I do enjoy making new members feel welcome here. I let them know they are amoungst family here, as I see this forum as a large family. We all are here for our own reasons sure, but when we all commune in one place like this, we feel like we make a bond here that'll last a lifetime outside what would be expected. Forums are a excellent way to forge relationships of both the loving, and friendly natures. Especially with caring and loving ponies that make this site what it is. I even said it on my profile that I will never leave this place unless the circumstances of the site itself or life get in the way. Then I cannot help what happens.

Edited March 27, 2015 by Vemillia Nightshade

[The Leafeon Pinkeh 3,603]

I post in those threads occasionally, I like to make people feel welcome. 

[HawkeyePierce 115]

I welcomed my first user to the site today. It's nice to pay stuff forward, and first impressions can decide the difference between someone who enthusiastically jumps in and someone who posts a couple of times and then forgets about their account.

 

Just a thought, but what if there was a Mentor program where veterans could sign up to be available to answer questions and give advice? I know that many already do this in the Welcoming Plaza, but this would make it more official so that the Blank Flank would know that they always had a specific user that they could turn to with questions.

 

It would be optional for new users, but as open and welcoming as this community is, there is still hesitation as a new user to address a big mass of people you don't yet know with what may be a stupid question. Having someone who is introduced and assigned to help you would likely do a lot to increase the conversion rate of new accounts to active posters. Could connect open-minded veterans with fresh new faces, too, which many might find fun.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

I welcomed my first user to the site today. It's nice to pay stuff forward, and first impressions can decide the difference between someone who enthusiastically jumps in and someone who posts a couple of times and then forgets about their account.

 

Just a thought, but what if there was a Mentor program where veterans could sign up to be available to answer questions and give advice?

 

It would be optional for new users, but as open and welcoming as this community is, there is still hesitation as a new user to address a big mass of people you don't yet know with what may be a stupid question. Having someone who is introduced and assigned to help you would likely do a lot to increase the conversion rate of new accounts to active posters. Could connect open-minded veterans with fresh new faces, too, which many might find fun.

 

That maybe a good idea, though IDK how the mods will feel about this though. Anyway, if such a thing was created, I'd be happy to do my part. I do like to help new members out and it would be a good way to make those are not as familiar with our wonderful site feel more at home. I'll admit, forum sites are scary to join your first time with all the rules along with the ins and outs. It's rather daunting. This maybe a way to break the fear factor of being new to a forum site, if only a little bit.

[HawkeyePierce 115]

 

 

That maybe a good idea, though IDK how the mods will feel about this though.

 

Yeah, maybe they like it maybe they don't. I'm just riffing. Besides, they may very well like it but not have time to manage the implementation of something like that. It would probably help if a veteran wanted to oversee the project, since a lot of it wouldn't require any moderator privileges.

 

This is what happens when I drink beer. I start brainstorming.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

Yeah, maybe they like it maybe they don't. I'm just riffing. Besides, they may very well like it but not have time to manage the implementation of something like that. It would probably help if a veteran wanted to oversee the project, since a lot of it wouldn't require any moderator privileges.

 

This is what happens when I drink beer. I start brainstorming.

 

Nighttime in general is my thinking period. But on the topic of the Veteran Help, I know what you mean. Maybe with a little help with other members, and mod approval, we could build something for Vets to help out newer members to enjoy the site better. Regardless if mods/admins help or not, we would need their approval still to be able to do this in general.

[HawkeyePierce 115]

 

 

Regardless if mods/admins help or not, we would need their approval still to be able to do this in general.

 

Oooooohhh yeah. Guerilla forum policies tend to lead to bad endings. My thought process was that they would be more likely to approve of the idea if it were something that trusted users were volunteering to handle with mod supervision.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

Oooooohhh yeah. Guerilla forum policies tend to lead to bad endings. My thought process was that they would be more likely to approve of the idea if it were something that trusted users were volunteering to handle with mod supervision.

 

That would be the safest way to go about this. Those that the staff know will not cause trouble will be allowed to be able to do this. May as time goes on, we can make a big sector out of this dedicated to it to help allow new ponies to feel welcome. It's a good idea on paper but until we have it actually executed, we will not know how successful it'll be.

[HawkeyePierce 115]

 

 

It's a good idea on paper but until we have it actually executed, we will not know how successful it'll be.

 

Ain't that the truth. Well, I feel a little presumptuous since I've only been here for...less than three days, so I'll leave that to you or whoever may think it's a good enough idea to run with it. I'll just be over here rolling around in how awesome this place is.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

Ain't that the truth. Well, I feel a little presumptuous since I've only been here for...less than three days, so I'll leave that to you or whoever may think it's a good enough idea to run with it. I'll just be over here rolling around in how awesome this place is.

 

Well I did just post the suggestion for this idea in the Advice and Suggestions sector a bit ago. We will see how this goes and if the mods or admins will be interested in our idea. If not, oh well, at least we tried.

[Finesthour 7,287]

I like to poke my head over in the welcome section sometimes due to the fact that I remember how scary it was being new. Always fun to help out the potential amazing member.

[Revy ~ Two Hands 862]

I used too but then the forums became too popular

[catnet 9,356]

I'm not that artistic, and roleplaying doesn't seem like my kinda thing. I rarely have anything useful to say in Life Advice, and I'm mediocre at discussions... Greeting new ponies seems to be the only real contribution I can make here, and being friendly and welcoming to those that give me hope for the world... it feels right, somehow.

[The Crimson Cross 7,532]

I'm not a regular in the welcoming plaza, but I post there occasionally every once in a while. I believe if everyone does that there should be enough welcomes to go around! However I'm not too keen on posting there anymore since the rule change. Mainly because sometimes a friendly and well thought out response to someone's post is better than the generic copy and paste message. I'm not saying its a bad way to go about it, after all you're still welcomed. Yeah, but a thumbs up to whoever goes there and posts regularly. Keep up the good work.

[catnet 9,356]

I used to, but brohoofing all the other welcomers (for taking the time to welcome new members :3) and getting all my posts to be as unique as I wanted them to be took up a lot of my time, even though there was still a lot I copy and pasted... knew I had to stop when it got to the point seeing notifications for new topics there legitimately annoyed me x3 I still try to welcome people through comments on their Profile Feeds, though; takes a lot less time and allows me to say hi to those that don't make a welcoming topic

[Moony the Cat 3,702]

I go to the Welcome Section whenever i feel like it.

I thing oBrony is the Reason why i came to the idea to regularly look at the welcome section and welcome everyone i see, because i wanted to be so nice than oBrony.So he was my Inspiration 

 

But i quickly realized, i wasnt on enough and missed a lot of People. And i dont really want to post a welcome post almost one day after, because it feels, like i just do it for Brohoofs.

 

I only do it now, when i see a new Welcome Topic on the Main Page, otherwise i will ignore most Topics.

But im also unhappy with my welcoming post, since i often have no idea, what to say and post pretty much the same...

So many times im just like : Oh man...whats the Point? ...i dont come up with something original anyway..and the other ones said everything already...might as well just go back to the Main Page since i would just repeating everything.

 

Or in short : I welcome people, whenever i feel like it.

[Codelyy 1,286]

I haven't posted in the welcoming forums for more then a year now i believe and the reason for that is just basically i can't be bothered XD

 

I always remembered posting this in all my posts in the welcoming forum:

[Kiri 7,288]

I did (or rather, tried to) for a time, but there are just so many that I couldn't keep up. If I only pick and choose certain ones, I feel bad that I didn't do them all.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Quartzy