YT Welcoming Commitee
 

It seems to me that YT has gotten so bad with negative posters lately, and great members leaving because of it. I've been on for almost a year now, and its like it just keeps getting worse and worse. I'm to the point that I can't stand it. There is sooo much imformation and so many GREAT people on here and that is the only reason I have tried to bear with it, but its getting to be too much now.

I think A LOT of it has to do with the "clicks" here on YT as well. A lot of these women (or men) have formed great friendships on here, and that is awesome, but it makes it REALLY hard on newbies to feel like they fit in. There are constantly threads on "why didn't anyone respond?" or people who feel left out. Or, they get attacked on what they are asking. And I know some things are utterlly ridiculous, and there are a lot trolls out there, but there are also some people that are naive and maybe we just need to help!

So here is my idea....

We can start a sort of welcoming commitee for newbies to feel like they are apart of this board. Whenever there is a new member, we can send out PM's welcoming them in a little more personal way.

We can also have a list of members who specialize in certain things (breeding, feeding, toys, grooming etc.) so that way they at least have one person they can go to without getting wrong advice from others.

I'm not sure, but I want to do something to help others feel like they are not just a newbie, but they are an important member of this board.

So let me know what you think, if you have other ideas, PM me, and maybe we can set up our commitee and get this going.

BTW, please don't make this thread about the negative posts, or turn this into a discussion on why things are the way they are...this is purely for a YT Welcoming Commitee! Thank you!

I think this is a great idea! I'm relatively new and I didn't feel unwelcome, but I still think that adding a personal touch to the welcomes couldn't hurt. I'm sure it would help the new people start some special friendships so they feel more like part of the group. I'm still developing some relationships and I would have loved if it had been a bit easier. I'm new to all this but let me know what I can do to help! :D

This is an interesting idea.
I, for the most part, don't communicate by PM but I would like for newbies to feel more welcome. I don't know if you saw the thread I started the other day making sure the newbies didn't have any questions and there were a LOT of responses. I think some have trouble navigating the board. People really do need help.

There is also one more point I'd like to bring up. A couple months ago I found a post from a new member that had ZERO responses. This was 50 pages back in general discussion. I started a thread about it in Off Topic and quite a few of us started bumping up all the threads with zero responses. This has seemed to stop (I'm including myself in this) and I don't know why except that it does take time. I don't think any thread should have zero responses.:(

Sounds like a great idea. I try to welcome all the newbies but we are growing so fast that I know I miss a lot. So count me in. I really hate it that we lose some before they even get started.

Ok, great, I'm glad you guys like the idea! Would anyone be willing to head out the committee with me, and we can keep things organized and send out updates (eventually) and get everything rolling? We can make it so we have a Pres, VP, Secretary, and so on. PM me if you're interested!

I have been here going on a year and have had threads go unanswered or maybe one or 2 people answer...it does make people feel bad:( I understand that sometimes threads get lost but what I do is constantly click "new post" at the top. That way I see what new threads are made in all forums and new responses made. I know some people go into specific forums but I find that by clicking "new post" when you log in and every so often helps keep track of all the new threads. hope this helps :)

I think this is a great idea to include with this. Maybe we can somehow assign a few people to keep track of this and be the "Bumpsters" of the commitee! Let's give this thread until tomorrow to get more people interested, and then we can start from there! Again, any ideas would be wonderful! I haven't thought this through a whole lot, but figured we can make it work together!

I'll definitely be in!

I would be glad to help if I don't have to be computer literate....cause I know NOTHING....not even how to post pics.:D

I like the idea, but I guess I can see some flaws with it. For example,

"We can also have a list of members who specialize in certain things (breeding, feeding, toys, grooming etc.) so that way they at least have one person they can go to without getting wrong advice from others."

Why would we need the threads? I realize people often get and give wrong advice, but someone usually comes along and clears things up.

I try to look for threads that have few responses and answer those if I can, or just bump up the thread so someone will see it. It seems like once a thread is on page 2, its dead.

People who feel left out should take it upon themselves to start welcoming new people, and might add a line or two beyond, "Welcome to YT."

Some people may find the PM intrusive. I got several that were for the purpose of selling me things, and became very suspicious after that. If someone is "made" to welcome you, the welcome doesn't seem very genuine.

I think it's a great idea to have a welcoming committee...I was actually just thinking about this the other night! I think that it would be nice to send a PM out to newbies explaining how to navigate the site, respond to posts, create their own thread, post pics, etc. Is there a way to find out when a new member signs up?

That's a good idea. New arrivals can be found at the bottom of this page http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/index.php where it says" YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community Statistics

Oh, I never make it down that far:rolleyes: Thanks!

I think it would be good to have a 'WELCOME' area of the forum that new members are automatically directed to....where they go first to 'introduce' and tell a little about themselves.....and there the 'welcoming committee' could greet them, answer any questions they may have about navigating the forum and such. If there was a 'WELCOME' area, newbies posts wouldn't get lost in the 'General Discussion'....

just an idea....:dreaming: