★New Users/Welcome Guidelines★ [Summer/Winter 2012]

[Meganium]

New Users/Welcome Guidelines!~​

Welcome to the PokeCommunity!

...that is, if you are new to the community. :3

If this is the first time stepping in here, welcome aboard as well. This is the board for the lovely new members known as New Users/Welcome. This board is completely dedicated to all the new members that join the community. You as a new member have the utmost option to create a thread, state your introduction, and be welcomed to the forums by many of the members here. Meet new friends right here at this section, as well as meet up with fellow new members that joined the same day as you did. You can even ask a quick question or two while you're at it, but please don't go too far on that, though! As we do have the PokeCommunity Questions & Feedback, as well as staff members in bold colored names.

This section is also for members that have been gone for more than 30 days from PC, and would like a re-welcome from the community. Get reacquainted with old friends, recherish more memories, as well as make new ones!

All in all, New Users/Welcome is the start line for new members, as well as returning members, so we encourage to make a thread and be heard!

Posting an Introduction (New Topic; New Members Only)

★~All threads made here must be introductions & reintroductions..

The only threads allowed in this board are introductions made by new members, as well as reintroductions for returning members who have been inactive for thirty (30) days or more. If you have questions, you have the option to post them at the PokeCommunity Questions & Feedback section of the forums, or you can always ask a staff member. I.E, a thread asking for team help would be best for the Competitive Battling Center's In-Game Team-Help, or a thread asking for a quick trade would be best for the Trade Corner.

★~One new member per introduction

Every new member is highly encouraged to create their own thread, so they can be welcomed personally. Please do not post introductions or write posts such as "I'm new here as well! Welcome me!" in someone else's thread, as it is attempting to take away the light & attention of the person that created their introduction. If you would like to be welcomed, to make a thread we go!

★~Do not make a thread if you've been active for more than two months

If you've been a member for more than two months, and have accumulated a fair amount of posts, there really isn't a point in creating an introduction. You *may* have introduced yourself in other ways rather than here. To be considered as a new member, you must be an active member for less than two months (or 60 days from your join date).

★~No "Leaving" threads.

"Leaving" threads such as "Farewell, PC!" or "I hate this place, GOODBYE!" are prohibited in this forum. This is New Users/Welcome. The point of this board is to welcome new members, and highlight beginnings for them. Please refrain from making those types of threads. However, if you would like to let your friends know that you're leaving, you can post in the Leave/Absence thread. Just a reminder that when posting your leaving statement, all PC rules apply. So, if you have profanity in your post or anything that might attack a member or a staff member, they will be deleted.

Posting a Reintroduction (for returning members)

★~Don't make a thread if you posted within 30 days.

There isn't a reason to announce your return to PC if you've been gone for less than thirty days, or even for a few days. We understand that people come and go all the time, and that's alright. If you want to announce your return, you are more than welcome to do so in the Leave/Absence thread.

★~Do not create an account & pretend to be a new member (aka Sock-Puppeting)

This is a rarity, but if you make an alternate account, and make a thread here *pretending* to be a clean new member, you are Sock Puppeting. You are more than welcome to make as one, two, three, even a bazillion accounts as you want, but please don't act new. I, Snivy, as well as the higher staff can check IP addresses, and we do it often. So, don't fool us. ;)

★~No need for a thread if you're switching accounts. [Updated Summer/Winter 2012]

Name-Changing has been disabled in the past, and it's become quite a difficulty to stick with our old names. If you decide to be active with another account, it is best if you don't announce it in New Users/Welcome. If you would like to let people know that you're going under a different name, you can place your announcement on your signature or Private Message/Visitor Message your friends.

EXCEPTION: You are allowed to announce your new account IF you have been gone or haven't posted within 30 days or more. If you create a new account and you have been active within 30 days on your previous account, your thread does not qualify as a reintroduction, and therefore will be locked.

★~Do not make a thread if you are returning from a ban.

Members returning from a ban for whatever reason are not entitled to a reintroduction thread. Even if you've been banned for a month or more, you're still prohibited in making a thread.

Rules for Welcoming New Members (for EVERYONE, whether new or old)

★~Follow all PokéCommunity Rules.

This is pretty much self-explanatory. All PokéCommunity rules apply here, including the 4-word, 25-character rule, and intentional double posting. These rules also apply everywhere else in the community. Just be sure that you are aware of them!

★~Do not copy and paste your greetings.

Copying & Pasting your greetings is very rude, especially to the new member. We understand that you're trying to boost up your post count for some reason, especially the almighty 15, but this isn't the way to do so. Be courteous to the new member, and be unique! The PokéCommunity Forums wants our newest members to return!

★~Short & simple "Welcome to PC" posts are not allowed.

Please read the introductions! It'd be totally awesome if more members welcomed the new members, but please refrain from posting generic (short & simple) "Welcome to PokéCommunity!" posts repeatedly. It's also rude, and sometimes it can break the 4/25 rule. Make sure your greetings are more than just "Welcome to PC".

★~Silently report threads/posts instead of "mini-modding" in-thread.

If you see a member's post that is breaking the NU/W rules or PC rules, please use the little itty-bitty teeny tiny report button (

) that's located at the top right corner of each and everyone's posts, and report it to us and/or a higher staff member. It's awesome that you're trying to help us out, but posting in a thread where a member is breaking the rules just makes things worse. Don't be scared to report! Mini-modding can get you in trouble. Always report if you see anything wrong. and seriously, Megan loves reports. lol

★~Do not revive threads.

This, from the PokéCommunity rules, applies here. Do not post in a thread that hasn't received any replies 30 days since the last post date, even if you are the creator of the thread. If it reaches Day 31 of the post date, it is considered dead, and must not be revived. Doing so just creates nothing but spam. If you've been gone for more than 30 days, you are more than welcome to create a new thread stating your return instead of reviving your introduction thread.

Multi-Reply Policy

Some of you guys may be wondering about the Multi-Reply rule NU/W has had over the past, and why it's not in the rules anymore. "Is it still in effect? Will I get in trouble if I reply to an introduction thread more than once?"

The One-Reply (I call it the "Multi-Reply") rule was no longer enforced since October of 2011, and it was axed in order to encourage more discussion between new and experienced members. So, yes, regulars! You can now respond to an introduction thread more than once! Regular members can now answer new members' questions as well as get to know the new member a little more…right inside the introduction thread instead of having to take it to VM or PM. Neato, isn't it? It's also a nice way for new members to meet their first friends here at PC!

BUT…there's the downside to this, though. Snivy and I still have the right to ask regular members to take their in-thread conversations to VM or PM if I see that a discussion is off-topic, spammy, or if it's back-and-forth between two non-new members. You can reply more than once, but try not to derail the thread too much (example: don't use an introduction thread for trading Pokemon).

Tl;dr, discussion is always encouraged in introduction threads, just don't take the thread somewhere else!

Staff Contact!

As a new member of the community, you are never alone. Many regular members here are more than welcome to help you out in any way they can, such as the rules here, the rules in the community, or a simple "how-to" question you may have. But you can also count on us moderators to help ya out in anything, as well as the staff. We know our way around the forums, so you can basically ask us anything.

The current moderators of New Users/Welcome are two grass-type Pokemon. One is a big green dinosaur (Meganium90), and one is a small green vine snake (Snivy063). Both of us have an open-door policy, as we can accept any messages. You can send us a Private Message or leave us a Visitor Message, any type of message is acceptable! One or both of us are always available around the clock, so feel free to throw us a message anytime. :D

Have a pleasant stay here at the PokéCommunity, and we look forward to seeing you around! :)

Meganium & Snivy
★Moderators of New Users/Welcome

Credit for the rules goes out to the previous NU/W moderators, including Hiidoran, EntwinedSilence, sammi-san, BeachBoy, Ausaudriel & more.