Suggestion: Adopt a Newb Thread!

[Dawn]

So, I was cruising various forums, looking to expand my horizon, when I came across one that had this thing called an "Adopt a Newb" thread.

Here's the concept:

Older members "adopt" new members to show them the ropes, befriend them, guide them, and etcetera.

Here's how the thread worked, bare bones:

New member that wants to be adopted posts saying so.
Older members that volunteer to adopt people check in regularly and see a new member has posted.
New member gets offer(s) and if more than one gets to choose.



You could add more structure to the thread by recording who is adopted by who, or by having the adopter or adoptee say when they've adopted/been adopted and or stopped adopting a newbie who may be ready to not need that sort of thing anymore.

In my opinion, if both are willing they should be able to stay adopted as long as wanted.

Requirements: Just a simple thread with some guidelines and rules, stickied, and a community full of kind people willing to make friends and help newbs out (Something we have, imo)

What this benefits: When I saw this adopt a newb place in the other forum, I squee'd. All my shyness and indecisiveness was gone. Totally instantly my favorite feature of that particular forum. It encouraged me to stay there, to get to know people, etc. It was so.... so easy for me compared to throwing myself out there and posting right away. It helps people make friends, and helps break the ice for some when joining a new forum.

On other notes, you could put minimum requirements for someone to officially be an adopter. Post count for instance.

Basically, I saw this, LOVED it, and thought... "PC should have something like this"
I mean heck it's usually the other way around where I think other forums should have something PC does, but not this particular time.



I sure know I'd be signing up to be an adopter right away.

 

[Scales]

I vote my support. It's a great idea

I hope it picks up

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

That actually sounds like a pretty cool idea. :O

 

[TwinkleClefable]

This sounds great! A bit confusing, but great!

 

[Jesus oƒ Suburbia]

Just use proper grammar, and read the rules.
That should probably cure their problem?

Sounds like too much of a hassle...
And it's really cheesy.

Even though I'd want to go with it...not happening imo. ]:

 

[Skip Class]

We have this at Pokestation Forums, and it works really well.
The newer members feel a whole lot more welcomed with it. The guy who made it is also a member here at PC

 

[Hiidoran]

You know, I've seen this on other forums as well. As a frequent poster in NU/W, and now a moderator there, I wondered if such a system would really work here on PC.

To be honest, I'm up in arms about it. I can see how it could be extremely beneficial to new users to have a knowledgeable friend right off the bat that could lead them by the hand around the community for a little while. However, there are a few things to consider with a system like this - and on a forum like PC.

First and foremost, most of our new members join for no other purpose than to get into the ROM Hacking scene or Wi-Fi. Let's face it, that's what draws in most people to the particular Pokémon discussion board. These newbies will ask countless questions regarding these subjects (as they already do in the New Users Hangout), so most of our adopters would need to have extensive knowledge of these boards. I mean, what else are you really gonna help those particular newbies with?

Secondly, I'm not sure about the whole process of deciding who could and could not be an adopter. Currently, there are very few "veteran" members who put forth any effort to welcoming and assisting new members. Sure, we have our regulars like Yellow and Ninja Caterpie up there, but if you check out the "who posted" link for the New Users Hangout (currently the place where veteran members can help out new members), you'll see that next to Drew and I, there are literally only a handful of members who have posted there outside of their own newbie days - that doesn't give me much confidence.

Personally, I do like the system... but I kinda want to see what some other staff members have to say about it being implemented here on PC before I think about it much more.

 

[Zet]

I would love to see something like this implemented in PC. And if it does get in, I call dibs on adopting you, despite you not even being a newbie to begin with.

 

[myrrh25]

Sounds good, I'd do it :)

 

[Codyjd]

I would personally be interested in that, since I haven't ventured much outside of the battle area yet :3. You could take me as your first adoptee if you want :3

 

[A Pixy]

I would totally volunteer. This is a super idea. (b")b

 

[Melody]

You know, I've seen this on other forums as well. As a frequent poster in NU/W, and now a moderator there, I wondered if such a system would really work here on PC.

To be honest, I'm up in arms about it. I can see how it could be extremely beneficial to new users to have a knowledgeable friend right off the bat that could lead them by the hand around the community for a little while. However, there are a few things to consider with a system like this - and on a forum like PC.

First and foremost, most of our new members join for no other purpose than to get into the ROM Hacking scene or Wi-Fi. Let's face it, that's what draws in most people to the particular Pokémon discussion board. These newbies will ask countless questions regarding these subjects (as they already do in the New Users Hangout), so most of our adopters would need to have extensive knowledge of these boards. I mean, what else are you really gonna help those particular newbies with?

Secondly, I'm not sure about the whole process of deciding who could and could not be an adopter. Currently, there are very few "veteran" members who put forth any effort to welcoming and assisting new members. Sure, we have our regulars like Yellow and Ninja Caterpie up there, but if you check out the "who posted" link for the New Users Hangout (currently the place where veteran members can help out new members), you'll see that next to Drew and I, there are literally only a handful of members who have posted there outside of their own newbie days - that doesn't give me much confidence.

Personally, I do like the system... but I kinda want to see what some other staff members have to say about it being implemented here on PC before I think about it much more.

The NU\W mod has spoken. So mote it be.

In all seriousness I agree, I belive PC has tried such a thing in its past, and it died due to lack of support.
We definitely are gonna need a larger welcoming group.

 

[Eliminator Jr.]

As nice as this sounds, it doesn't really seem that necessary. I mean, how hard is it to post on a forum? I don't really see why someone would need to be adopted. But, with that said, I've got no reason to be against having something like this so I'm happy with whatever.

 

[Charizard★]

I would do it! haha
But, I'm pretty sure a lot of other PC veterans would want to do it.(Like Hiidoran said)

 

[dead-man-walking]

As nice as this sounds, it doesn't really seem that necessary. I mean, how hard is it to post on a forum? I don't really see why someone would need to be adopted. But, with that said, I've got no reason to be against having something like this so I'm happy with whatever.

Well, it's not hard to post in a Forum.
But getting adapted to the Rules is.

I dunno about the Idea. Might produce some good results in my thoughts.

 

[.Gamer]

My dad won't let me have pets. :(

 

[Citrinin]

Even adapting to the rules isn't hard, really. That being said, adapting to social environment and learning certain skills can be, and it helps to know you have a friend here who knows the ins and outs of the community. I have to wonder if it wouldn't be more appropriate if there weren't some kind of specialisation. Having a mentor for a specific area, say rom hacking, or competitive battling, or art, might be more useful than a generic pairup who, while experienced, doesn't know the section that the newbie's interested in.

 

[Garrabutártulo]

So... are we doing it or not?
I'm on an epic fantasy forum and we did it and it was great. The couples had some benefits, like writing stories (fantasy stories) for some challenges about how did they met or so.
I would like to be adopted. I'm a very good boy and don't eat very much.

I'm from Spain, so my adopter would have a little patience with me when I don't understand something...
We could make a tournament that had a couple system...

If someone is interested in me, send me a PM plz...

 

[Nick]

Hmmm... here's my opinion on it --

PokéCommunity is a very large community compared to others most newbies have been apart of. I remember being intimidated to participating in even the smallest discussions because of how many people would see it. Being a new member in a large forum like this can be intimidating for anyone who isn't used to the mass amount of members who participate in the forums and discussions. Having someone guide you in to all of this can really prove to be a good thing. That's what I had when I joined. There were about four people who would help me out - one of which were really dedicated. Did I feel I needed that many people to help me settle in here? No, but it certainly did help me get situated and encouraged me to become as active as I could be without worrying about anything.

So, I do feel this system is a good idea, because I've been part of it without many people even knowing what it was really all about. But, I do feel that there can be some negative impacts on what happens and how that member is viewed by others. More often than not, I've found that some people here judge people for who they're friends with and who they communicate with simply because they may not like the person. Resentment towards that person follows. Is this a good thing? Of course not, but it's a fact of life - not just something that happens on the internet, but something that happens everywhere. People are always judged by who they hang out with because of the influences that take place. Happens all the time in someone's teenager years where they're labeled as hoodlums because one of their friends did something. I don't like how that happens, but as I said, it's a fact of life.

I feel like that will only be magnified if this system is put into place. I like the idea of the system, but I don't like the idea of so many people being judged in such a manner. And I feel like if someone new is adopted by someone who some people have bad feelings about, the bad feelings will move on towards the newcomer, and they'll be judged immediately for being associated with the member. Like I said, I don't agree with the way things like that happen, but they do. Not by everyone, but by enough people for me to feel un-confident when I say that I think this will be a benefit to the member.

 

[Mew~]

To be honest it seems a bit rude for new people, who would want to join a fourm where people call you newbs... and where people want to adopt you... ? I find it creepy in a way also...