Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum
 

Hi

I noticed that a lot of new users are not posting to the "Introduce Yourself" thread. I suggest "locking" a new user until he/she has posted to that thread. When one initially registers display the "Introduce Yourself" thread and allow access to only that thread.

On subsequent sign-ons allow access to the "Introduce Yourself" thread only if the user hasn't done a post in it. It may require a profile flag that is set when the proper initial event sequence is completed.

I have implemented this sort of technique in many software systems where initial information has to be entered before one can access other system functions.

Jerry B

_________________
A man might as well marry ... if he finds a good wife he will be happy ... if not, he will become a philosopher.
Collecting Greater New Guinea & Macropods (Kangaroos & Wallabies).

BRILLIANT idea! (IMHO)

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't know if the phpBB software is capable of doing that.

_________________
Tony

It would be like a computer game "complete this level to unlock the next one".

Good ideas for style/presentation/usage often come up. Unfortunately our IT consultant often advises us that XYZ would be tricky/impossible to do, given the limitations of the software, or it may be possible but if you start fiddling too much with the 'off the shelf' arrangement you might crash the system. Like someone who decides to repair an engine and when they put it back together, they have pieces left over.

We'll see what we can do though, some members here are wizards at not only identifying obscure stamps, but also writing up computer code. Look at the great results achieved in our recent colour scheme trials.

_________________
Collecting Mongolia; Thailand; Indo-China; Mourning Covers; OHMS.
My online 'store': http://stampsfromaethelwulf.blogspot.com/

_________________
A man might as well marry ... if he finds a good wife he will be happy ... if not, he will become a philosopher.
Collecting Greater New Guinea & Macropods (Kangaroos & Wallabies).

Technically it MIGHT be possible - I will ask.

In the MEANTIME, I have beefed up the wording sent to all new members INSISTING that their first post be in the "Roll Call" Forum.

That may work just as well.

That said I'd urge ALL Senior Members to pop in and offer a "Welcome" note to all the newbies here every now and again -

http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10277

Right now too few do it, and a far larger range of Senior Members wishing new members a warm welcome and saying 'hi' will encourage our new members to spread their wings a lot faster.

I like to think of stampboards as a friendly global COMMUNITY.

Imagine a normal stamp club - and a new member turns up for the first time - many there say 'hi' and shake his hand. It makes you feel WELCOME.

A HUGE percentage of new members make ONE post - there - and never post again. Odd.

They are often new to "search" and do not know WHERE to find topics that would interest them.

Here is one such case fromthis week - ONE post.

If a helping post was made by a Senior member pointing to an existing thread that ight interest him, he'd be up and running I reckon.

Another thing to remember is that Many new Members are of the "senior"(Older) variety,,I am sure Glen will be able to resurrect a Thread he did on ME a few Years Back.

And even Today I am still finding my way around the Internet,so many new people may just be aware of how to switch on their Computer. use a mouse,point and Click.and not much else.

_________________
Nunawading Stamp Fair
Last Sunday of Every Month - Jaycees Hall Silver Grove - Nunawading.

I told Lars to join up after he contacted me on another stamp site got him sortoff coverd

Kloster

I do accept. I am a newbie here. I didn`t read the rules properly (my mistake). I used text speak in my introductory post and in a few other posts where I posted. I got a welcome aboard from the Administrator but when my first post was in text speak I think I could have been warned right at the Doorstep .

After about 10 posts in different forums (all in text speak) I got warnings. Frankly, that was when I realized I am in a hell a lot of mess.

Though I stand corrected now, my first week here has made me feel like being lost in the jungle with no one to even ask help.

_________________
Started to collect post-Independence India, help me complete the voids
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29439

Collecting Canada (just started) and CHESS on stamps.!!!!!!

A stamp club where before you can even join the members demand that you stand up and make a speech in front of everyone to tell them all about yourself, however overawed you are, and even if you just wanted to see what it's all about? Yeah, that would be so very friendly and make me feel TOTALLY welcome.

Normal course of events with online boards is that people sign up, they lurk for a while to see how things work, then they join in actively if/when they want to and on whatever topics interest them. Much like stamp clubs really. This works perfectly well, and I can't see the value in actually insisting on an introductory post as a prerequisite. (Can't remember if I even made one back in the (fairly) early days of the board, but I suspect not. Doesn't seem to have caused any problems if I didn't.)

Well to prove what fine members we obtain when members DO follow our Rules, we only have to look at yourself .. despite your failing memory.

You did indeed make a fine welcome post on April 18, 2007, over 4 years back - the very day you joined -

http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10277&p=1248#p1248

And you are thus perfect proof that requirement is a wise one.

Thanks for proving the point so admirably of the worth of that requirement.

It took you 6 months to make your next post -

http://www.stampboards.com/search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author_id=100

Frankly I have zero interest in what 'other' stamp boards do, as history shows they all fold and disappear or are moribund - EXACTLY for the reasons you put forward - that folks join and make zero posts, and the board dies from lack of new posts.

They do not have 6,250 members and rising each day - and we do. That is part of the reason we are Number One,

_________________
A man might as well marry ... if he finds a good wife he will be happy ... if not, he will become a philosopher.
Collecting Greater New Guinea & Macropods (Kangaroos & Wallabies).

drvvr - thanks for noting our Rule 17, and many thanks for helping (now) to keep the standard of posts high, that we pride ourselves on.

Your member profile says your occupation is a Doctor, and I am sure when you read the Lancet or NEJM there is nothing whatever in text-speak?!

"The Rules" all new members are sent a link to, and they are URGED to read through before making post #1.

http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2556

Yes they are very long - blame me for that by all means.

But they DO give you a clear idea what we do here. I frankly have near zero interest in what OTHER stamp boards do, as they founder and disappear, or end up moribund and lifeless and meaningless.

"The Rules" are why this board is orderly, easy to navigate, and well presented.

Read and adhere to them and like mozzerb, you'll still be active here 4+ years on as he is. Invent your own set of Rules, and you will soon not be here - it is as simple as that!

95% of chat boards I visit, often by accident when googling something, are filled with gibberish and lazy text-speak and most will NOT be there in 5 years time.

We will be, and what is posted will be in proper English and make sense. No profanities, and no text-speak.

Rule #17 below covers it, and thankfully most members do assist us in that one!

Most regular members feel part of a COMMUNITY here, and take trouble to adhere to the high standard of presentation that the last 2 million posts used.

That is a primary reason we are Number One, and many thanks to all those who assist.

The 20 Moderators on 5 Continents spend countless unseen hours a day behind the scenes, keeping the board looking professional and neat, editing clumsy thread headings, adding paragraphs where needed etc, and all members need to thank them for the un-paid work they do.

Glen

Shaun??? - from Winkton Auto???? - is that you????

_________________
When a man comes to me for advice, I find out the kind of advice he wants, and I give it to him

Just out of curiosity, I went out and had a look at what the registration procedure is these days....it has changed somewhat since I joined.

I cannot see why it might not be possible to include - in big bold lettering - an emphasis on posting in the Roll Call thread to begin with, within the original "terms of agreement".





The Geelong stamp club has had a few people who turn up for several meetings before deciding to actually join - and a few who didn't - and that is perfectly acceptable. At some stage new members are invited to introduce themselves to the club, and that works well.

Personally, I was a lurker here for several months before I bit the bullet. Even after joining there were many things I still hadn't learnt, but the one thing I DID learn, and very quickly, was how helpful people were (even the sheriff ).

I believe Muruk's point about the importance of introductions is valid. Occasionally I have come across new members on the board who have not taken the time to post an introduction, but jump straight in; and I cannot help but feel slightly suspicious of some of them. Strangely, many of these people come across as techno-literate (if not language-literate)



Ron, I believe most (if not all) of our so-called "senior" members would be the LAST people to ignore the 'first-post rule'; perhaps because they take the time to read and try to understand the rules

For all us oldies this techno-bizz is a learning curve. I have learnt more about computers, the internet, security, cameras, virus protection, scanners, (spammers), and, oh yeah, stamps and stamp-related stuff, in the last couple of years than I had ever done in the past.

As the board continues to grow, it will attract more and more, ummm, types of people, not all of whom are interested in stamps. I do believe that an up-front introduction of self, whilst not perfect, might help members to get to know who we're dealing with.

Just my 2c worth.

_________________
FORESTS OLD, PASTURES NEW
(An expert is one who knows more and more, about less and less)

I think that was where I erred. Entered the forum and when I reached probably rule no.17 I slept .

I am solely to be blamed. I check my posts more sincerely than I check my patients nowadays

_________________
Started to collect post-Independence India, help me complete the voids
http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=29439

Collecting Canada (just started) and CHESS on stamps.!!!!!!

Or looking at it another way, perfect proof that it gave very little encouragement to participate. That intro post doesn't seem to have encouraged me to post more, does it? Thinking back, I signed up after an announcement in your newsletter that the board had been set up, and then didn't pay much attention for a long while until I had Aussie-related questions to ask. The thing that got me taking part more actively was the "Plate 77" thread.

Having been reminded of the very truncated intro I posted, I remember doing so with some reluctance -- I dislike "tell us all about yourself!" instructions in general, partly because it's no-one else's damn business unless I happen to want to tell them, especially on an internet forum where you don't know who might be reading. (Anyone who's thinking at this point "but ... mandatory intro posts will solve that problem!" is being wildly optimistic. It's precisely the scam artists who are going to be most willing to post detailed but mendacious intros claiming to be hot Indian actresses or the like.)

As for other boards, I wasn't referring to other stamp boards either, just bulletin boards in general. It seems to be an Internet Rule -- a corollary of the Any Other Club Rule, really -- that 90% of the activity comes from 10% of the members, and there's always a "long tail" of members who, like me, take some time to see value in the board or never do. I've never felt that Stampboards was particularly welcoming, and started to post more frequently recently due to an attack of boredom more than anything else.

Basically, I can't see the point in requiring someone to post to tell all about themselves before they've had a chance to see what the boards are like. It'll put off some potential members, put others' back up, and gain little or nothing. Why bother?

Hi mozzerb


As far as I know anyone can read pretty much anything on the board without "signing up" and thus seeing what the board is like. However, one cannot post without "signing up". Every board I have looked at has a "guest" status which is read only, same as here.

Jerry B

Me too. However, the suggestion on this thread -- starting post and the next few posts supporting it -- was that someone new should only be able to see the "introduce yourself" thread. The "guest" factor might not even have been considered, it was referring to people who have just signed up. That would hardly encourage anyone who was unsure to do so ...

"Guests can read, users can post as well, introduce yourself if you like (and especially active or privileged users may get access to special forums)" is pretty much universal and thoroughly sensible. Can't see a good reason to go round the houses to do any different here.

Jerry .. not always so - not by a long shot.

On the Admin panel it is a 5 second keystroke to tick the "Access by Registered Members only" box and a LOT of boards do that.

Even today many ask me why we don't do that, so the "guests" turn into members.

At every second of every day there are genrally more "guests" reading the board than members.

Here is a snapshot of 2 minutes ago which is typical.

I'm happy to leave things as they are.

Glen

Hi Glen,

Thanks for updating me. I did not realize that one could restrict access to the board. It does make sense though.

By the way the spell checker software you recommended is great. I use it in places other than this board.

Jerry B

Just as a general point, as we have buying, swapping and selling topics on this Forum, I would be far more confident of dealing with someone, after 20 posts and 20 days, had they introduced themselves properly, as anybody does in any community situation (and this is a community), made real posts, and then offered stamps, rather that a member who joined, posted twenty numbers in a counting thread, and started offering 5/- Bridges at $100.00

Just call me the suspicious type.

Norm

_________________
Geelong, VFA Premiers 1878, 1879, 1800, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1886, AFL Premiers 1925, 1931, 1937, 1951, 1952, 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011, .

Um ... but would that latter behaviour be any less suspicious if they'd made an intro post saying what a wonderfully reliable person they were?

I assume that in practice people are going to evaluate other members based on their general activity anyway -- "you are what you post" and all that. Looking back I see the first couple of "real" posts I made were to provide answers to queries that I just happened to have information on. I didn't see the point of posting random junk for the sake of it.

I don't demand that new acquaintances tell me their autobiography unless they want to, and don't expect them to demand it of me either. In philatelic circles I assume that we'll mostly be talking about stamps, not life stories. Yes, my attitude may be picky on this point, but I doubt I'm unique.

No one is asking that a new member post their "life story", but even a simple "Hello my name is Greg and I collect Australia" will come across better and a little more friendlier than your first post being "I found a rare stamp worth heaps but I'm not going to show you it, so how much is it worth"? And yes there have been a few... er... demanding early posts.

When I joined I thought it was nothing out of the ordinary at all just to say "hi" - It's not exactly a hard thing to do.

_________________
Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"