New members and how you view them

Started by Ho-Oh October 24th, 2011 11:28 PM
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  • 19 replies

Ho-Oh

used Sacred Fire!

Age 31
Female
QLD, Australia
Seen June 5th, 2022
Posted April 23rd, 2022
35,988 posts
17.5 Years
We were all new once, but many of our experiences were different when we first joined. Some of us fit in really well, some of us struggled without any guidance or support.

When someone new joins PC, do you value their opinions less because they are new, either subconsciously or knowingly? Do you feel that newer members have to prove their worth to PC in order to be "valued", or do you immediately take new members under your wings and mold them into the perfect member? Also, do you think it's harder for a newer member to convince someone of something, or bring up a new idea, than someone who is a more established member?

Share your thoughts.

Shining Raichu

Expect me like you expect Jesus.

Age 32
Male
Australia
Seen October 17th, 2020
Posted December 21st, 2017
8,958 posts
12.3 Years
As a new member, I certainly felt that way. I don't think it was necessarily a matter of how anybody treated me because almost everybody was lovely, but psychologically I definitely felt a sense of "keep your head down, don't do anything that will make the staff have to moderate you, don't annoy anybody". For a while I was even too scared to post threads for fear they'd be stupid or I'd mess them up somehow and have to have them moved or locked lol

So, when somebody new joins PC, I try very hard to do nothing that would make them feel that way. I don't consciously discriminate between the newer members and older members. Subconsciously? Probably, I won't lie. I tried very hard as a new member to just blend in and make it seem like I'd been here the entire time. So yeah, I think new members do have something to prove in the sense that we don't know who they are yet, so the first impression they make is important.

I don't know how much sense this reply makes - I think my thoughts got all jumbled somewhere along the line lol
Moderator of General Chat

Alice

(>^.(>0.0)>

Age 31
Female
Oregon
Seen April 30th, 2015
Posted April 29th, 2015
3,077 posts
14.2 Years
Eh, I just don't really pay much attention to people I don't recognize in general. If they make some really good posts, or try to talk to me directly, then I'd treat them the same as any regular member, but until then they're just faceless names on the internet, so I can't help but take them less seriously.

Mr Cat Dog

Frasier says it best

Age 32
Male
London, UK
Seen September 29th, 2017
Posted July 12th, 2017
11,344 posts
19.1 Years
I treat them WITH SCORN!

Actually, no I don't. Unless a new member is acting particularly nooby, I'll treat him/her with the same decency that I treat other, more established, members. Equality and all that. If the member is acting all nooby, especially in my jurisdiction, I'll normally send a PM outlining why he/she should stop what he/she's doing and direct him/her to the relevant rules. With regards to the suggesting of ideas: I respect all ideas and submissions if they're made well and coherently and whatnot. If it comes from a new member, great; if it comes from a veteran, also great. If veterans suggest bad ideas, I don't like them any more because simply because the suggesters are veterans. Likewise, vice versa for newbies.

Melody

Banned

Female
Cuddling those close to me
Seen March 4th, 2018
Posted March 2nd, 2018
6,459 posts
18.6 Years
I define these words for clarity, so you know what I'm talking about when I use newb/n00b when talking about newcomers.

*Difference in terms is bolded.
Newb(s). - A newcomer, typically inexperienced but willing to learn and usually tries to learn, even if they fail many times.

I don't mind them. They stumble, fall, get back up, dust themselves off and tootle along again, avoiding the collision again if they can. We've all been a Newb before...you can't have come online without learning the basics. We're all still learning anyway, and for some the learning curve is not sharp. Tolerating these is usually no problem. They tend to be aware enough that they're still new and don't forget it about it long enough to get complacent. Usually they're pretty down to earth people, and I'll gladly socialize with them if they strike up a conversation with me.


n00b(s). - A newcomer, typically inexperienced but completely unwilling, from the very start; to learn, read anything important or otherwise show EXACTLY ZERO interest or attempts in/at improving. A n00b may refuse to type properly or show any respect for readability when making their own posts, and is often impulsive. They may have just joined to download that one file, or to post to participate in a few trades. Overall their intent isn't to stick around, they're just here to get something.

I mind them a lot. These are the ones who get the mild or stern treatment from me. They make me groan. I know the mods feel a lot worse about it than just groaning, but they've got methods to deal with that. Some are rougher than others. XD


Oftentimes experienced members can be a tad intimidating to newcomers. It's not that they intend to be...it's just that what they see to be "Common Sense" is not "Common Sense" to someone who is new. Like anything, "Common Sense" is not instinctively known. It's learned, and learning it sometimes takes time, trial and error. Sometimes even Common Sense can't save you from being human. Most of us realize that even if we seem to bark loudly. At PC, the rule is typically "Bark is worse than the bite", with a few minor exceptions.

I do admit to being a bit wary of a newcomer's ideals when it comes to suggestions for the forum. Not because I don't value their input, but because I know they weren't here when X or Y happened, which might have been pertinent to whatever is being discussed. But outside CQ&F, where there are topics where that might matter, I leave that at the doorstep, because what does join date have to do with anything outside of CQ&F?

Usually I can take a respectful, well-written by a newb post more seriously than I could ever take a n00b's post. And I generally expect the same from others.

Rule of thumb is simply: If It sounds like a newb, please listen. If It sounds like a n00b, please ignore. XD

-Jared-

Certified Responsible Adult

Age 31
Male
Northern California
Seen June 16th, 2022
Posted June 14th, 2014
1,817 posts
14.2 Years
I try my darnedest not to make a new member feel intimidated or worthless. That wouldn't say a lot about the community if we tried to do that, right? xD Subconsciously, I might not take them seriously, but only if they were new to the internet in general or something. Or if they spoke in leet speak or something. :\ Other than those things, no, I think I am pretty open to new members. ^__^ Maybe it's the teacher in me. xD

Oryx

CoquettishCat

Age 30
Female
Seen January 30th, 2015
Posted December 27th, 2014
13,184 posts
12.2 Years
I remember specifically feeling bad when I first joined because of older members constantly referencing how people only understand things because they've been here a long time, how the forum was better in the past, etc. It's a problem a lot of old members seem to have - on the surface they say "I listen to new members because we were all new" or something like that, then they go to their friends and say those kinds of things and make new members feel like they're not a real part of the forum, that they can't have the same feelings as an older member because the older member has made it known that they feel that way "because they're old", that they can't have an opinion because people will just call them out on their join date. I still feel uncomfortable when people get into that mode, even knowing I've proved that my join date is pretty irrelevant, lol. Older members often do this without thinking, it's similar to saying "common sense is learned". They never learned that making things about their join date makes newer members feel bad, because the newer members just hide out and don't say anything about how they feel so they continue to do it and think that they're being welcoming to new members.

I feel like I only check the join date of someone if they're breaking a rule, tbh, and even then I check post count more. If a person joined in 2008 but only has 1 post then I assume that they joined, forgot they had the account, and then left for 3 years and came back. Actually no I also check join date if I see someone consistently making good posts that I didn't notice before, because I want to VM them and start conversations so they feel like more a part of the forum. xD


Theme * Pair * VM * PM

Not all men...

Are all men stupid?

That's right.

Olli

I am still bathing in a summer's afterglow

Male
Skyloft
Seen 1 Hour Ago
Posted July 24th, 2021
2,583 posts
12.8 Years
Hmm, I'm not really a person to judge other people by how new they are, but there may be some exceptions :/

I judge a person by their first impression on me, and how they act, not only towards me, but also towards other members, as I don't wanna befriend members with an hostile attitude towards each and every member, no matter their rank or how they act toward towards that person, but that's not that likely to happen here on PC.
No I'd rather befriend people who have a more friendly attitude, which is alot easier to find.
At least that's how I see the majority of members here on PC.

Also it doesn't really matter how new the person is to achieve something here, as I see lots of people who haven't been here for that long, but still have achieved more than I (which isn't that much, duh!)
Not removing this from my signature!

Esper

California
Seen June 30th, 2018
Posted June 30th, 2018
I usually dismiss members in general, regardless of their join date, until they show some "spark" like a clever and witty reply, a good understanding of some topic, really nice grammar and writing - really, anything at all that shows some nice quality they have. So I guess I do dismiss new members more just because I haven't had a chance to see who they are yet.

Yoshikko

the princess has awoken while the prince sleeps on

Female
Seen April 27th, 2020
Posted February 6th, 2020
3,065 posts
11.8 Years
Since I could maybe be considered kind of 'new' myself (idek but maybe) I totally understand the feeling so I just treat members equally, but I find it annoying when someone didn't read the rules, and I don't think being new is an excuse for that. I mean I read the rules instantly, not only because it's just something you have to know when you come to a new place, but also to prevent making an utter fool out of yourself by making stupid mistakes that you could have prevented by reading the rules simply.

Do you feel that newer members have to prove their worth to PC in order to be "valued"?

This however I do think. And I speak for myself as well. Because this is not only true in forums and on other places on the internet, but also in real life. At least I think so. You gotta work your way up and that's how it is with about everything imo.

Truality

Left for good

Male
Seen May 17th, 2013
Posted December 4th, 2012
1,006 posts
11.8 Years
I guess I am neutral towards them, currently. I might as well start a conversation with them if I see something interesting about them in general. Still, I never ignore them if they ask me for help or something relevant to that.

But bear in mind that a considerable portion of new members have joined for a purpose other than the community itself; for instance, they wanted to try hacks/games/something they couldn't try as guests, or ask a few questions about pokemon. These members who have a set purpose from the very beginning are not likely to evolve to a member that enjoys the community as a whole, the way I see it, at least.
This is my December . . .

Alex

what will it be next?

Seen December 30th, 2022
Posted December 26th, 2022
6,407 posts
16.4 Years
I try not to care about join dates or post counts. If someone writes a well thought-out and informed reply, then I will respect them no matter how old they are on the forums. If someone acts like a noob and is new, I won't really be all too surprised either. The worst is when someone acts like a noob and has been around for years. I don't have much respect for those types of people.

Nihilego

[color=#95b4d4]ユービーゼロイチ パラサイト[/color]

Male
scotland
Seen September 28th, 2018
Posted March 16th, 2018
8,874 posts
12.1 Years
I don't even know a new member when I see one since I turn off both joindate and postcount in my postbits so that I don't end up judging people unintentionally based solely upon those.

Anyway, I don't think that new members should be required to 'prove' themselves or to try to integrate in with the 'popular' crowd to be of worth to the forum. However, that's just what I think and, intentionally or not, I see a lot of new users going down that road. For the users which don't, if I like their posting style, I'll try to befriend them to show them that you don't need to get in with any particular crowd to do fine here. I didn't and I think I've done alright.

As for bringing up new ideas and things, yeah. Probably for good reason, though. In general a new member won't have as good an understanding of the forum so their suggestions might be misguided or whatever. Doesn't mean it should be dismissed but yeah you get me.
s͎̭̚ ̪ͭͩy͔͚̰̻̗̩̺ͣ́ͨ̌͡ ̩̳̙̖̖̺͡m̷̱̘͎̝̘̣͒͌͒̚ ͇͖̔̐̔b̝̪͚̞̦ͬ ̢͔̱̟̞̝͙̮͌̅̈̓̿̿i͐̈̃͊ͯ̎҉̟̠͓ ͕̥̣̪̠̃͑͞ỏ̵͕̠̱̬̬̞͛̋ ̨͈̻̱̟̱͓̪n͒̒͂͊̀ ̻̰̰̜̅̃͒̂͞tͭ̍̈́ ͙͇̘͕͍̜̖ͫ̌̊̿ͫ̂̀:̵̾͒̔͂ ̟͉̜̽͒͌͜p͎͇͎̦̺̙͒͆͋́ͅ ̨̠̠̘͚͖̺ͫ͛̎̉a̲͍̫͖͗̄ ͓͖͍̯̤̼͙̿̆̂̂̄r̬̟̮͖̥̼̆̓͑̃̾ͬ̉͟ͅ ̬̼̗͊͛a̛̯̮ ̮̬͍̙̮̤́ͪŝ͊ͬ̒̎̃ ̧̝̮͎͙͆̓ì͈̹̻̱̾͝ ̘͉͕̭̊ͤ̉̓tͩͯ̉̐ͨͬ̚͏̻̺̖̮ ̞̘͂̋̋ͯ͑ͦ͗e̞͔̎̇ͫ͊͗

champagnepapi

exile

Male
new england
Seen September 4th, 2016
Posted June 25th, 2016
1,795 posts
12.5 Years
I don't even know a new member when I see one since I turn off both joindate and postcount in my postbits so that I don't end up judging people unintentionally based solely upon those.

Anyway, I don't think that new members should be required to 'prove' themselves or to try to integrate in with the 'popular' crowd to be of worth to the forum. However, that's just what I think and, intentionally or not, I see a lot of new users going down that road. For the users which don't, if I like their posting style, I'll try to befriend them to show them that you don't need to get in with any particular crowd to do fine here. I didn't and I think I've done alright.

As for bringing up new ideas and things, yeah. Probably for good reason, though. In general a new member won't have as good an understanding of the forum so their suggestions might be misguided or whatever.
Being in one of said crowds, I'd say that when I see 'potential' in a new user, it's mainly because they're a lot like users who have already integrated themselves in PC, but I do often take a liking to refreshing users that make quality posts, but don't exactly adhere to the PC standard. "Noobs" are fine by me, too, I used to be one, and it's all a part of learning how this stuff works, in fact, users that "don't get it" at first end up being some of the better users down the road.

paired to kaori & vrai

Aquacorde

⟡ not everything is sink or swim ⟡

Age 29
she/her/he/him
Ankh-Morpork
Seen 22 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
12,277 posts
18.9 Years
New kids are cute. :>

I like new people. Not to say I dislike older ones, but newbies are a breath of fresh air, starting something for the first time with different viewpoints and opinions. Some are inherently awesome (those are the ones who get the emblem I made, yesyes) and some aren't quite, but most of the ones that stick around bloom into amazing members. I do treat them a bit differently than I do older members, but that's mainly in regards to tolerating mistakes and accidental rudeness and trying to help them learn quicker. My noob days were terrible and I really don't want anyone else to have that kind of thing in their past so I try to help them. :x

I'm sure it's harder for new members to get acknowledged in a good way and when they bring things up, their ideas tend to be shot down. I mean some are bad ideas, sure, but some are decent and bear thinking about. I feel sure sometimes that if, say, someone who joined in '08 had presented the same idea that it would be received much differently. I think users tend to forget it should be more about the person than the join date and who they hang out with tbh.

um basically newbies are cool and that is why people should hang out in NU/W
marie & casey & rosey
groc x aquacorde x juno 4ever | rp is just collaborative writing
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Kenshin5

Wanderer

Male
Oklahoma
Seen September 18th, 2013
Posted March 25th, 2013
4,391 posts
14.9 Years
Typically when I see a member I try not to evaluate them on their post count or join date. Somebody could post in Daily Chit Chat all the time, and make ill thought posts but still contributes to the count but yet that doesn't make them any more worthwhile of a poster then a new person who goes about and makes exemplary posts in multiple areas or at the very least contributes to the section or sections they frequent. I generally like seeing new people around especially in forums I frequent cause we you talk the same thing over with people there the discussion may become stagnant after awhile, but if a new person brings something new to the table then discussion value is up and that is in thanks to a new person. And I am not going in with the assumption that new people here or newbs either, I am sure plenty of them have had various forum experiences prior to this point so they know how one runs and the proper "netiquette" and what not.

Brian - 0089 1621 6313 - White

Chikara

ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ

Age 31
Female
Missouri, why? ◉◡◉
Seen April 11th, 2021
Posted March 27th, 2021
8,284 posts
18.6 Years
I treat everyone the same.

New kids, normal members, vets, staff... It doesn't make a difference to me. No member is more worthy of attention than the next, unless that member has proven otherwise on multiple occasions. Positively or negatively. That's just how I look at it, i d e k.

Osha_say_wott?!

osha osha

Lone ★ State
Seen February 21st, 2013
Posted February 19th, 2013
271 posts
12.1 Years
I don't even notice a member's join date, I forget when I joined xD, so it doesn't matter to me if a member hasn't been around as long as some other members. Whether a vet or a newbie, I don't value their opinions less or more do to the length of their time on PC.