We've been tossing this one around in the Moderator forum, I thought I would post it here in the Lounge and see what people think.
I'm sure you guys have noticed the recent increase in new member signups. I just counted 8 "first post" threads on the first page of the Lounge. The new intro threads are now hovering around 20-30% of Lounge threads. This seems to be largely due to the new forum home page setup. Turns out a "window-display" type of home page is very inviting to new users.
Anytime a certain type of thread takes up a significant amount of the threads in a forum, it's time to consider a new forum for those threads. I've been considering a new "Introduce Yourself" forum. BBB suggested that we do this as a sub-forum of the Lounge, meaning that it would be classified under the Lounge, and a link to the "Introduce Yourself" forum would appear in the Lounge.
ADVANTAGES:
--new user mistakes (such as posting in ALL CAPS), and new user questions (How do I get a custom avatar?), are all contained to one forum. We can even add some basic sticky posts to the intro forum, such as "Please don't post in ALL CAPS", and "Here's how to get a custom picture under your name".
--it's even more encouraging for new users to make that first post, when they see that we have designated a specific forum for that purpose. Clearly, they are welcome here.
DISADVANTAGES
--any intro posts made in the Lounge, or in the Introduction to Hotrodding forum, will have to be moved to the new "Introduce Yourself" forum. Small maintenance overhead for mods.
--we will probably have to rename the Introduction to Hotrodding forum. It's too close in name to an "Introduce Yourself" forum, and would cause confusion. One or the other would have to be renamed. "Basic Hotrodding" "Beginning Hotrodding", something like that, etc. -- I'm open to suggestions.
--everyone hangs out in the Lounge; when someone introduces themselves in there, they generally get a warm welcome, as many people see the thread. This may not be so in a designated "Introduce Yourself" forum. Would our normal members regularly check in to the new "Introduce Yourself" forum to meet and greet the newbies?
BTW, this new guy is a "welcome" avatar. Like this:
"Welcome to the Hotrodders Bulletin Board :welcome: "
(yes, I know it's cheesy -- but it works)
I'm sure you guys have noticed the recent increase in new member signups. I just counted 8 "first post" threads on the first page of the Lounge. The new intro threads are now hovering around 20-30% of Lounge threads. This seems to be largely due to the new forum home page setup. Turns out a "window-display" type of home page is very inviting to new users.
Anytime a certain type of thread takes up a significant amount of the threads in a forum, it's time to consider a new forum for those threads. I've been considering a new "Introduce Yourself" forum. BBB suggested that we do this as a sub-forum of the Lounge, meaning that it would be classified under the Lounge, and a link to the "Introduce Yourself" forum would appear in the Lounge.
ADVANTAGES:
--new user mistakes (such as posting in ALL CAPS), and new user questions (How do I get a custom avatar?), are all contained to one forum. We can even add some basic sticky posts to the intro forum, such as "Please don't post in ALL CAPS", and "Here's how to get a custom picture under your name".
--it's even more encouraging for new users to make that first post, when they see that we have designated a specific forum for that purpose. Clearly, they are welcome here.
DISADVANTAGES
--any intro posts made in the Lounge, or in the Introduction to Hotrodding forum, will have to be moved to the new "Introduce Yourself" forum. Small maintenance overhead for mods.
--we will probably have to rename the Introduction to Hotrodding forum. It's too close in name to an "Introduce Yourself" forum, and would cause confusion. One or the other would have to be renamed. "Basic Hotrodding" "Beginning Hotrodding", something like that, etc. -- I'm open to suggestions.
--everyone hangs out in the Lounge; when someone introduces themselves in there, they generally get a warm welcome, as many people see the thread. This may not be so in a designated "Introduce Yourself" forum. Would our normal members regularly check in to the new "Introduce Yourself" forum to meet and greet the newbies?
BTW, this new guy is a "welcome" avatar. Like this:
"Welcome to the Hotrodders Bulletin Board :welcome: "
(yes, I know it's cheesy -- but it works)