New Members Board

I was just reading through the new members board and was just wondering if it had any real point? I mean, aside from the adoption center, it seems like a place where people are just saying "welcome to ZU, read the rules and have fun!" really spammy posts if you ask me, there are some forum members that hang around in there just to welcome all the new-comers of the day and boost their post count by 10 per day. I was just wondering what everyone elses opinion was on this.
Mods:if you dont see a point in this thread i'll understand if it gets closed. Just thought id share my opinion.

No, you're actually quite right on some points.

It's kinda sad to see people greet newbies and be certain they do it for post boost only. But then there are those few that greet a newbie every now and then because they want them to feel comfortable. And the Newbie board still does function as a first place for newbs, where they can ask questions and get help from kind members. It's just sad it has decayed to spam. The mods will step up moderation there.

So far,I've only seen one person like that. He really gave it away when someone was announcing they had returned and the guy still said,"Welcome to Zelda Universe!".

One other thing I've also noticed is how everyone is repeating the same thing over and over without any variety. You see one person posting: "Be sure to read the rules!" once, and you can see a dozen others posting nearly exactly the same thing with: "Be sure to read the rules", "Read the rules or mods will pwn you", "Read the rules or I'll eat you!", "Don't be a n00b and read the rules", "Have fun here and read the rules"... etc.

I don't think a person need to see him or her being told to "read the rules" ten times in a row in his first ever thread on ZU. It just makes new members feel uncomfortable and feel this place is full of hostility toward newcomers.

Just a thought.

WELCOME TO ZELDA UNIVERSE!!!

But seriously, it is getting kinda annoying. If your major goal in life is to raise your post count though, good luck with that. It is really sad to see people who just post and post and post just to have a high post count. Yes I have been here for 4 months and have over 850, but my goal in life is not to make it higher.

I have never used a Vbulliten system, but if it is possible to stop certain areas from adding to the post count then it would be nice to just remove it from the newbies area. That would take out all those people who just want higher post counts.

WELCOME TO ZELDA UNIVERSE!!!

But seriously, it is getting kinda annoying. If your major goal in life is to raise your post count though, good luck with that. It is really sad to see people who just post and post and post just to have a high post count. Yes I have been here for 4 months and have over 850, but my goal in life is not to make it higher.

I have never used a Vbulliten system, but if it is possible to stop certain areas from adding to the post count then it would be nice to just remove it from the newbies area. That would take out all those people who just want higher post counts.

This is a good idea. I know that you can do it on InvisionFree, but I'm not sure about vBulletin. And I've never thought about this issue, but I realize now that the n00bs' (no hidden diss in there, just so you know) board is an easy way to get lots of posts quick. But you can never be 100% sure that the person is writing the message just to boost their post count or not. Just because they give the same advice to everyone. But again, the 'Posts Don't Count' is the best idea so far.

So far,I've only seen one person like that. He really gave it away when someone was announcing they had returned and the guy still said,"Welcome to Zelda Universe!".

*snicker* *snicker snicker* That's hilarious! What was this user's UN?

They made it so that you didn't get posts counted in the clans I think maybe 2-3 months ago or something. So you can do it on vB.

I do it every now and then, maybe like once every 3 days or something. I think I used to do it more. The posts not counting in there is a good idea. Either that or maybe you'd have to say something slightly different in every post so it doesn't get too spammy.

We actually had this up for discussion in the staff just now. Sadly, I fear that those that post spammy greetings will continue with it regardless if it adds to their post count or not, just because they think that now it's allowed.

Originally Posted by Shetani

We actually had this up for discussion in the staff just now. Sadly, I fear that those that post spammy greetings will continue with it regardless if it adds to their post count or not, just because they think that now it's allowed.

But it won't continue if they get punished for it (strikes) I'm sure (or at least hoping) that if we keep a closer eye on the New Members' Board, strike people for spamming/postwhoring, and discontinue the post counts in there, then I'm sure that things could level out. Now I'm not saying we should make the NMB very strict, but we should just keep an eye out for those spammy posters, and use the ways to prevent them from doing such acts.

-BGS

I've always thought it's a bit redundant.

Most of the older members don't even bother reading the topics which are all the same; a newbie only gets known and welcomed by actively participating in the main forums, in my opinion.

Also, same thing is begining to happen with advertising. People would just post " nice site" for increase of post count.

If there is a problem with people posting spammy messeages just to increase their post count, then just do away with it.

No , I do nOT agree with doing away with it completely.
You have to take into consideration the relatively large size of the ZU forums. For a newbie, it seems overwhelming, and the new members board provides that refuge or rather *oasis* of safety where they can announce to the masses that they have arrived.
It's not meant for the newbie to become *known* as such Trics, (obviously that only occurs by active participation) but to say that they're there and .. indeed .. nervous and uncertain :p
Heck, *I* was really nervous when I came to ZU even though I already knew some of the members and had a brother here already xD

I suggest writing an equivalent to the *Newbie's guide to the universe* where you point out to the welcomers to use some thought when welcoming our newbies :3

*hands chocolates all round and sits back in her throne*

I don't think you should strike for spam in the NMB. I remember being a first-timer (it was only a couple of weeks ago, after all), and all the posts made me feel good, not alienated. And people who say things like "Have a papaya *throws papaya*!" or southern-belle's 'milk treatment' makes the boards seem really friendly. I think that you should just make post counts not increase there.

I was a first timer only a few months ago. I didnt need am "im here, be my friend" thread to feel welcome. You just have to start posting and keep the spam to a minimum and people will take you seriously. Then your post count rises (the right way) and then you're in. Who wants to be welcomed by people that have 1,000 posts half of which are from NMB saying "Hi! welcome to ZU!" and from theadvertising board saying "Thanks! nice site!"

The New members board is a good thing.

I would rather see memers spam in their own threads, were people can tell them it's spam without gtting off-topic. Also, some have questions, and it's better if those are asked in a single thread.

Also, not everyone copies and pastes welcome messages. Some can really help members, and it's good to know someone notices you.

And even if you didn't need it, someone else might.