Want to tell newbies where to go?

MSE_Martin

Hi folks,

It occurs to me many times people lose their rag and course rows out of frustration of things that newbies and other do that breaks etiquetter without knowing it.

Of course its annoying for regulars but the nature of a growing forum is that there are always new people and they allways make the same mistakes.

I though we could develop a standard replies cut and paste which anyone can use which works as a polite way of explaining the problem....

So if you've thoughts of standard issues and suggestions of courteous replies others cna use... please write them below....

Nile

Please remember that we were all new members on MSE once.

This post is a polite reminder to read the Forum Rules and read any individual board 'sticky' threads which contain useful information for members new and old.

It's possible that the information you're looking for has already been posted and a quick search should find the thread. Go to the relevant board and click on the 'Search this Forum' box at the top right of the page.

The Forum Etiquette is Pls be nice to all MoneySavers. There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps.

lindens

I just used one in fact

"This question was asked in a previous post, here is the link in case there is anything useful for you"

And then I provided the link

superscaper

I think sometimes a lot can be on how the newbie takes it as well. I've certainly pointed some in the past (politely) to the forum rules, FAQs etc which is sometimes appreciated and we can go on from there. But sometimes a newbie will take the suggestion of reading the rules as a personal insult in itself. I'd certainly be interested in any suggestions of "good wording" to use for newbies.

Another thing is that spammers are invariably "newbies" almost by definition and it can be very difficult sometimes to tell apart horrible spammers and sincere newbies who simply didn't know they were breaking the rules. The latter tend to suffer the same barage of anti-spammer comments that the former get which is a shame if they could potentially have been a positive contributor in the future. Don't know the answer to that one either, I myself get incredibly frustrated with a poster posting for the first time with an advert to their site or some such and also tend to make the assumption it's just a spammer.

Another thing is when a newbie asks the same question that's been asked many times before or is simply in a sticky or in one of Martin's articles. I usually just give the appropriate links but I find other posters seems to get almost irate as if they were a spammer.

Summary, maybe the answer is that there are categories of what to do for a given situation. So it'll certain need more than one standard answer/response depending on the type of post.

vangirl_2

Hi as a newbie i would like to respond to this. Regular moneysavers who have been on this site for years will see the same posts come up time after time and get a bit fed up, after all theres only a finite number of questions that can be asked.
I have used the search engines but as information and products change on an almost daily basis, post that might have been made only a few weeks ago can be almost instantly out of date and might not be completely relevent to the question that you want to ask but might be very similar.
I think a bit more patience is required. After all when you have serious money problems you can become a bit self involved and just post out of frustration and for a bit of support from your money saving friends even though a similar post might already be floating around.
Also a a newbie your eager to post some help as you dont always want to be taking from the site and might post without searching cause you think youve got a really good find.

globalds

There seems to be a special class of Noob that posts on weekends .
The Midweek Noobs seem a much better crowd

Hothothot

I find the forums quite consfusing with alot of sections, but i guess this is to be expected of such a large site. Whats the difference between the 'quick grab it while you can' section and the 'shop but dont drop' section?

*MF*

1: Open a "New here? - say Hello" "Sticky" in this Thread, allowing new members to make a post announcing their arrival, and break the ice.

New MoneySavers: Pls read this

Welcome. This bit contains instructions on posting and asking question

2: Encourage existing members to say "Hello" back to new members - both actions create a welcoming atmosphere - that welcoming approach already exists imho from my short time here, but it is diverse rather than focused, and may not be readily apparent to new members - such is the size of this forum and the speed at which threads and posts appear and move on.

3: Within that "sticky" post the type of "guidance" being suggested in the comments above, and those that will follow below and from which MSE will choose a final format, and it also allows for subsequent amendments as the forum grows further.

4: Encourage "mentoring" in that thread - where existing members offer to answer any "newbie's questions" either in that thread or by PM.

5: Offer comments on "Spam" and "Trolls", and allow existing members to influence "etiquette" as an informal regime just thru' post contact..

6: Altho' some new members may not read such a thread, many will, and it can be used as a central focal reference point to direct new members to when questions arise.

You are inviting people into your "virtual" home Martin - and the suggestions above allow new arrivals to be treated much as I suspect you would want to happen were it your "actual" home, just let them in and allow the existing members to make them feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

There is already a fantastic, and yet vastly diverse "community" on here - my suggestions are intended to provide an entry point for new members, and help make them feel at home - which is what your forum feels like to so many.

Lynsey76

Thank you for sharing this find with us, however this link/info has been posted by another moneysaver here (insert link). Here is a link to how to use the sites search facility (insert link). We try not to post the same link/info more than once as it keeps the boards from being cluttered. Each board has some 'sticky' posts at the top, give these a read and they will initiate you to our forums! Don't worry we were all new once! Welcome to the site!

superscaper

Lynsey76 wrote: »

Thank you for sharing this find with us, however this link/info has been posted by another moneysaver here (insert link). Here is a link to how to use the sites search facility (insert link). We try not to post the same link/info more than once as it keeps the boards from being cluttered. Each board has some 'sticky' posts at the top, give these a read and they will initiate you to our forums! Don't worry we were all new once! Welcome to the site!

It's not too different to what I and many others do already for "repeat" info. I think the main concern (at least for me) are posters that actually break the forum rules, post spam, or break the rules on etiquette. It can be difficult in those situations to appear tactful at the same time as pointing out their infractions.

MSE_Martin

I like yours linsey... i've changint it around though.


Hiya, welcome to the site, and thank you for sharing this find with us, however this link/info has been posted by another moneysaver here (insert link).

Here is a link to how to use the sites search facility (insert link). We try not to post the same link/info more than once as it keeps the boards from being cluttered.

Each board has some 'sticky' posts at the top, give these a read and they will initiate you to our forums! I hope this helps make your start on these boards easier.