With the introduction of two new users, simbha and curious_neophyte, as well as some discussion with thenewgreen, I thought about a way to help new members get their feet wet and get to know some people within the existing community(ies).
Personally, I enjoy talking to new members. I enjoy helping people find things that interest them on the site, and to just generally shoot the breeze. pubski for example is great because it serves as a good, punctuated general discussion thread. A space where we can express whatever is on our minds, add depth to our digital character. In addition to pubski, and 'Hi I'm new here' threads, I would like to create a list of people who are interested in interacting with new users, as a resource.
Some people have no interest in this kind of thing, and that's just fine by me. I'm just curious if anyone else would be interested in this proactive approach to helping cultivate the thoughtful web?
#newtohubski exists solely for people to get their feet wet. If you're following that tag, you're either interested in speaking to new users or you're a horrible troll. And speaking as a horrible troll, I think duplicating the obvious, established and successful efforts of #newtohubski through some sort of ladies' home bake brigade thing doesn't help anybody. The biggest problem anybody has with the site is "how do I figure out what I'm doing and navigate the place" and throwing in a "well, you could do this OR this other thing" will be counter-productive.
I specifically avoided mentioning you, for exactly this purpose. I see value in putting some more humanizing elements in the new user experience, I don't expect everyone else to, hence the exploratory nature of the post. I do not think I have the end-all be-all answer, nor do I think that the issue is so large as to warrant serious changes to any existing part of the site.
If I didn't know you were part of the dev team now that would honestly shock me. I propose a list of users with a stated interest in interacting with new users and showing them around, as a way to help steer new users away from veterans who have no patience/willingness to engage with them, and therefore make the initial population of users a new user interacts with more friendly. I'm not proposing a bake sale, I'm proposing an open seat at the table with nobodies coat over it.FYI: I follow #newtohubski.
I'm almost positive I'm not a part of the dev team. However, I didn't know I moderated AskReddit until they turned the moderators green. I'm sure you're awkwardly referring to this kerfuffle. Something to keep in mind about that: 1) I follow #reddit. 2) I should follow #reddit. I've been talking off-the-record to admins for longer than the current batch of admins has been there. I have been interviewed about Reddit by the Daily Beast, The Economist and several times, the Daily Dot. 3) I should have the option of not having my feed overwhelmed by two hundred refugees that are only going to be around long enough to vent about reddit and be satisfied and go home. That doesn't mean I'm hostile to new blood. After all, I also posted this. That means I'm hostile to new blood that has no intent of integrating, no expectation of adaptation and no patience to listen before speaking.
I could have sworn I saw something thenewgreen said regarding you taking some sort of official position with the site. Regarding point 3, correct. Entirely correct. But I wasn't at all referring to the kerfuffle you referenced, more your apparent general disdain for the initial confused kicking of new users. Combine that with your established internet pedigree and it generates a certain perception. 'Suffer not fools to post/communicate(with me).' Yes, there should be a barrier to entry that stops shitposting and users with, as you said, no intent of integration, adaptation or patience. But those people will self-select out rather quickly, by nature of the site. I'm interested in making it easier/faster to recognize diamonds in the rough.
I was on a conference call. Once. We're having this discussion because of one word you just used: "apparent." I haven't said shit to denigrate new users. I've chimed in several times on new features and structuring for new users, for more users, for continued growth. I've never once taken the tack that Hubski should be left alone because it's plenty big enough - I always run new feature discussions through the filter of "what would this mean with ten or a hundred times the traffic. Search Hubski for "Vinod Khosla" and see what I mean. True - I generally stay out of the "Hello, Hubski I'm new" discussions because the obligatory "welcome" from every mother's son ends up being a thousand comments of zero content each. But the ones that ask questions? Check out Badge #100. That was from me to a new user that had never posted before. But right here: here's where we disagree. Explain to me how you aren't just making it harder for them to do that... if #newtohubski really and truly is accomplishing everything we collectively want it to. And if it isn't, shouldn't we improve #newtohubski instead of developing something else in parallel?Yes, there should be a barrier to entry that stops shitposting and users with, as you said, no intent of integration, adaptation or patience. But those people will self-select out rather quickly, by nature of the site.
I apologize for my sloppy language. And I never meant to intimate that you aren't interested in the growth of the site, though I understand how it came across that way. I believe that #newtohubski is good, but lacking a more humanizing element, and one possible solution I offer is a list of users who are directly interested in talking with and helping new users. We have this informally already. TNG does a great job of getting people pointed in the right direction, but if somehow, we were getting, say 1000 new users a day, I wouldn't expect him to get to all of them. Maybe we just need more active use of #newtohubski, maybe something else entirely. I see a problem and I propose one solution while fishing for other ones. That's all.
What specifically are you suggesting in terms of talking with new users? It seems like we have fluxes of new users. Sometimes they come in massive waves, other times they come in smaller, less noticeable ones. I'm all for something more than what we have but, for reasons that are beyond me, I keep recalling the "introduce yourself" threads on old forums that were typically terrible. Maybe it was because every time someone commented on it, it would highlight and it was always stuck to the top. Maybe because most oldschool forums were less welcoming so they were an open invite for harassing new users. Regardless, I don't ever want Hubski to turn into that. When a user joins, they are recommended to use the "newtohubski" tag so that users who do not wish to see new users may ignore than tag, and those who do can follow that tag.
We can definitely add something to the primer / tutorial / etc. - perhaps a list of users (but then we have to manage that list....) or link to a thread where people can make themselves known, etc. The only thing that worries me about this is the potential - whether real or imaginary - of segmenting of users, power users, etc. It would have to be something anyone could participate in. I also don't know if new users would be more likely to reach out to another individual than make a new post, though. Maybe we don't need a more active #newtohubski but just a more laid back way of saying hi. Maybe a thread that gets reset every 3 months or so. Users like you can save a thread so that you are notified whenever someone comments on it. FYI, if you haven't done so, you should make a new account just to remember what new users experience when they first sign up. I try to do it every once in a while. I also used to personally reach out to new users and get feedback on what it's like from a UI / experience standpoint when they join Hubski. I haven't in a while, but there was always valuable feedback in them. Of course, I was more selfish in sending those messages than what you are doing here. :)
As a new user, I really like this idea. Are you suggesting this as an integral feature to the site? As in, would it be an additional mechanic to how the site worked? Or would this be a separate, community-run list of new users? Overall, like I said, I love the idea (and as I get more familiarized with the community I'd like to help newcomers that arrive after me). Also, would you mind explaining pubski a little bit? Just from lurking I'm getting the sense that it's a tag dedicated to kind of just updating the community about what's going on in your life?
Pubski is the Hubski pub. You essentially nailed it. You come to the pub and share anything you'd like to with the community that might not otherwise have a platform within the wider context of the site. It's a catch-all of sorts. A relaxed, personal environment for shooting the breeze. In this way, I think it serves the goal of making each person 'more than just a username'.
If you would have asked this question yesterday, I would have told you nothing needs improvement and that everything's fine as is. But it seems like we have a little influx of users and I find that the "Get to know me" thread was a definitive success. Because every time there is an influx, the conversation is usually centered around the functionalities of the site. And while that's fine, I feel it does not give a good impression of how the conversations usually are on here. I like the get to know me thread because it focuses on users (old and new) and everyone gets a benefit out of it. New users get to see the "personal" nature of this site and older users get to maybe find someone with a similar interest and start a conversation about that topic. The new users on there have stopped being "some new users". That sounds better than having the usual reddit/husbki difference conversation that i'm sure older users will (some already have) get sick at some point. I propose to start a new "get to know me" thread every time we have a big/moderate influx. Props goldbludgeon for the initiative :)
As long as I have any influence with mk (and my office sits just down the hall from his), this will 100% never happen. I will throw a temper tantrum and piss on his computer before I'd let him do this.I would like to create a list of people who are interested in interacting with new users, as a resource.
lil was running a welcome committee for a while, I believe. I'm frankly not willing to volunteer myself as a whole-sale cheerleader because, well, I get cantankerous about things sometimes. I find I do often step in and engage with "new" users but not quite immediately and I don't think feeling pressured to do so would help me continue to try and do that in a positive manner, I'm afraid.
_refugee_ is mistaking me for someone else. I have never ran any committee on hubski. I hate committee work. Nonetheless Ben, your idea might be helpful. Log out and then go to hubski as if you just happened upon it. The first thing you see at the top of the page is this:
We share good ideas and conversation here. Login, Join Us, or Take a Tour! At the end of the tour (which is labelled 'tutorial' on the bottom menu), there's a link to The Purpose Page which has more general info. What if at the end of the tour and somewhere near the top, there is also a link called "Welcoming Committee." Click that and a message opens up that says "hi there, I'm the welcoming committee. Click my name and you'll learn more about me. To ask me anything, click ... etc." and then you can have your list of people on the committee. One cent please.
It was unofficial and its only charter was your unending enthusiasm; its only by-laws your eternal open-door (and arm) policy. But "welcome committee" is definitely what I think of it when I get a "psst...check out this user" PM or see you taking first (or second/third) stance welcoming a newcomer in any given thread.
shoot, I have only three more minutes to post my poem. I'll be late. But it's coming. Roll the dice.