# Expansion of the 'New Members' section



## Elendil3119 (Jun 3, 2003)

I was just thinking back on how confused I was when I first joined this forum, and also looking at the questions that new members often ask when they join. I think it would be a good thing to have some sort of stickied announcement in the New Members section that outlines some of the rules and policies on the forum. For example, new members are always asking 'What are warning points, how do you get them, and do they expire?', 'What are the Guilds?', 'Why can't I be a member of this guild _and_ that guild', 'Who are the moderators?', 'What is the C9?' etc... It might also be good to include an overview of all the forum sections explaining what they are for in a little more detail. Also, a few technical hints (how to do links like this etc.) would be helpful for new members. All in all, this would make the New Members section more than just a place for new members to start threads saying they're new. What do you guys think?


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## YayGollum (Jun 3, 2003)

Makes all kinds of sense to me. One of these council of nine people had this suggestion for us to pay attention to those new threads and answer the questions in there. But then, sure, a superly cool thread with the obvious F.A.Q. type things ready for them to read would be good.


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## Aulë (Jun 4, 2003)

What's wrong with this: http://www.thetolkienforum.com/misc.php?s=&action=faq ?


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## Idril (Jun 4, 2003)

ah..., no one reads it I suggested it should be part of the registration process - but then that wouldn't guarantee it being read either, (same way I don't read the 'license agreements', I just tick the 'I agree' box anyway). 

Maybe we can have a 'welcoming committee' to deal with the newbies and their queries and to show them around.


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## Nenya Evenstar (Jun 4, 2003)

I like the idea . . . even if it means copying and pasting the current FAQ into a stickied post.

No one reads it now because it's a little less obvious (sort of ) than a sticky is, and so newbies usually don't find it until later.


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## FoolOfATook (Jun 4, 2003)

The other problem with the existing TTF FAQ is that it doesn't answer a lot of questions, particularily regarding the guilds (I don't know how many times I've tried to explain the rule about membership in debating guilds...). It covers the technical side of things well, but doesn't answer a lot of questions about the social/political aspects of the forum.


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## Nenya Evenstar (Jun 4, 2003)

Looks like something for the C9.


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## Elendil3119 (Jun 4, 2003)

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *The other problem with the existing TTF FAQ is that it doesn't answer a lot of questions, particularily regarding the guilds (I don't know how many times I've tried to explain the rule about membership in debating guilds...). It covers the technical side of things well, but doesn't answer a lot of questions about the social/political aspects of the forum. *


Yes, that's exactly what I meant. When I joined, it took me quite a while to figure out what the guilds were, and then to learn about the 4 debating guilds. I can imagine the C9 would be confusing for a new member too...


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## Lantarion (Jun 4, 2003)

So we just need to expand the existing Forum FAQs. I don't see the immediate need for a completely seperate forum only for answering questions of that nature. 
Perhaps the FAQ bar could be 'advertised' so that new members could spot it more easily.


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## Elendil3119 (Jun 4, 2003)

Oh no, that's not what I meant. I was just suggesting that perhaps a mod could make an announcement in the New Members forum that would explain, as FoAT put it, "the social/political aspects of the forum". Right now, the New Members forum really serves no purpose other than to provide a place for new members to start threads saying they're new. (not that that's bad, but there could be more to it) Doing this might result in a higher number of members sticking around and posting requently. I've been suprised by how few new members actually stay here for more than a month or so.


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## Nenya Evenstar (Jun 4, 2003)

I think it's a great idea, Elendil! 

And for the info, the C9 is already working on the FAQ, I do believe, or was.


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## Lantarion (Jun 5, 2003)

Ah, that sounds great! 
Sorry I didn't spot it before.  
Will we see some of the fruits of the C9's labours in the C9 fora?


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## Nenya Evenstar (Jun 5, 2003)

I do hope so.


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## ltas (Jun 5, 2003)

Great idea, Elendil! I've always thought too that we should put a kind of ''New Members' Guide through TTF'' to the New Members section. That will be the most likely place where a new members will go when they join (Actually, a new member could be directed automatically to that thread after registering?). 

This community has developed so many inside rules that the ''newbies'' could definetly use some advice in that department. Answering questions individually isn't very efficient, because it is difficult to a member to gather information from separate threads and also because one will never know if some question has already been discussed or not. 

IMO the ''technical'' part could be left out, because the FAQ section is the best source of help on that subject. There's plenty of other stuff that could be included... suggestions:
- when do I get to change my title
- how and when to get an avatar
- webmasters announcements about new rules of using TTF, such as how long can a signature be... (how long was it anyways? Four lines? Three lines? - See, even older members could sometimes use that rulebook  )

Also, this ''Users' Manual'' could be updated every once in a while... And right below that sticky could be a ''Leave your questions here''-sticky, where members could post their questions. In order to avoid the situation where the Questions-sticky exceeds 60 pages and no-one bothers to go through it anymore, it could be organised in a way that when a member asks a technical question he/she will get the link to FAQ, when a member asks something that is already in the ''User's Manual'', he/she will be directed there and when it is a new question, it will be added to the ''Manual''. 

Hope some of those thoughts would be useful to you...

ltas


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## Beorn (Jun 17, 2003)

If someone makes it, send it to me, and I'll put it up...


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## Nenya Evenstar (Jun 17, 2003)

Sounds good, Beorn.


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