Topic: Writing a welcome message (Read 16312 times)

It reminds me that in the past you have included me on that whitelisted without making request. I'm really thankful that you solved my problem back then so I could actually report a lot of posts even though I realize it only lasts until my rank becomes full member.

I hope not many of them miss that message if they're really newbie, but if the exposure will be better with other upgrades then I should probably agree with the good advice.

I think that after the ban is removed, a message will appear in red containing, "You can post now" or something like that, adding this text to that message will be easy (no codes needed,) or sending a personal  welcome message as soon as we click on the Whitelist button.

I've whitelisted over 200 users who ran into a proxyban. When I approve them, I email them this:
If each Newbie has a signature saying "Welcome to Bitcointalk! Please check the rules a bit: https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/unofficial-list-of-official-bitcointalkorg-rules-guidelines-faq-703657 ", that would give massive exposure to the rules in the threads where Newbies post spam the most.

That's a really well-written welcome message! I think it strikes a very nice balance (i.e. instructional/foreboding/inspiring) and I think it's a real shame that 4 years worth of new members haven't been exposed to it...

In my opinion, by giving theymos a lot of ill-considered feedback, the community really shot itself in the foot on this one.

To be, or not to be, that is the question

Will it exist or not?

I like it! How about doing this only for the first 7 days for new accounts or the first 5 posts (whatever comes first)? Copper Members should of course be able to instantly change it.

If you're not going to disable signature campaigns, can you make the default signature link to the forum rule thread?

Found this entitled:
Newbie Readme by tysat

Also this post by Anonymous Guest.

Meta is usually the last place newbs go hence why they need to be directed to the rules upon sign-up. I'd also like to see some warnings in certain boards that maybe are only displayed to newbies/Juniors and they go away when you achieve Member rank or something (or you can just turn them off in the settings) but I think these warnings would be good reminders to people to use caution and will at least save some users from being scammed.

I would probably like a warning about the disconnect/non-relation between ranks and the trustworthiness of a user. Probably another caveat would be to never trust anyone blindly, and a few nudges towards the sticky threads.

As it currently stands, a Newbie would have to wander into the Meta board and notice the "Unofficial rules" thread to get started on learning about the forum.

There is still no welcome message to newbie but I am not new actually been registered and been away for a while and forget my account.

Anyway, I was gonna thought that writing a welcome message for newbie is very important. Just highlight the rulings especially about permban in which most of the time I have observe it here specifically in this section.

Anyway, if they are not here for bounty hunting then that would better and low chances they will going to violate rulings in the forum. Mostly bounty hunters turn to cheaters when they able to realize that money is not really going to be earn the fast and easy way. Bounty hunters are everywhere in the forum and I guess when we will going to put a ration between bounty hunters and users that are here to learn will be having a huge difference. Probably in my estimte would be 9 bounty hunters out of 10 users here in the forum which means 90% were bounty hunters.

No, most of the info there is pretty obvious to anyone who is not new to the Internet, and would only serve to increase the likelihood that the new user doesn't even bother to read the whole thing if he sees how long it is. If it were new the logging and registration sections would at least mention CAPTCHAs, the Copper Membership, evil IP addresses, data retention policy, etc.

It looks kinda new, but even if its not, arent those what a welcome message must contain?

No, that's some default user readme that comes with SMF, and lacks a lot of information users should be well aware of, such as ranks, merits, the Trust systems, the proliferation of scams, forum culture, rules, etc.

Hey, I think they've heard.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=help

if you go to that link you would see a very good introduction.

This message of yours looks like an introduction where the main points are missing. It's good as an intro, but it doesn't get to the essence of things. The aim of the welcome message should be to guide those who sign up and inform them about what they are allowed and not allowed to do. Your welcome message points them towards other pinned messages instead of mentioning the main points, such as spamming, copy-pasting, scamming, etc.   

**Taking the stage, deep breaths. . . .**

Welcome Message!(sample)

Yey, you've made it. Let me welcome you to the largest, bitcoin forum. This is a community-driven forum which aims to be a platform for bitcoin users to exchange ideas and thoughts about the industry. This forum achieved its current prestige by being reasonably strict, and with the help of the community, bitcointalk continues to educate, promote and nurture the minds of bitcoin-ers.

Like you, each and every member here was a Newbie once. Whilst some are smart enough to avoid common pitfalls and dodge awkward conversations, there are those who unfortunately have to deal with these sticky situations. Imagine moving to a new place, or country, or a new school with a different atmosphere, language and norms. In order for you to get the most out of every discussion, a newbie must have a basic understanding of the subject/board/stuff. Lucky for you because it will be easy as 1-2-3. Before you ask this and that, or request for an unpaid advice, take a look at the Pinned posts, (those posts in the beginning of every board, and they have a "pin" icon to make it easier to identify.

Being familiar with the content of the Pinned posts would accelerate your awareness of what to do, and what not to do. This will also lessen the risk of you being schooled which often involves a unique but can be unpleasant tone from "tenured" members of the community. Well, if ever you get that, just do not take it personal, instead, think of it as an accent of bitcointalk members.

(brain lagged)
to be continued or not. . .

 

How about that welcome message?

IIRC, the newbie warning flag is shown to newbies and members below a certain number of days logged in, but for this to appear the member needs to already have active flags. Not sure how effective it is at this time and more policies to protect members from scam would always be welcome; Maybe a warning at the top of certain boards (visible to guests and members) where trades are more likely to happen.

Scams are not moderated, so the mods cannot take actions against scam posts or members who make them. There has been lots of discussion about whether to moderate scams and the consensus seems to oppose it as it could give users a feeling of faux security that any unhandled case isn't a scam.

The DT system is in place to warn against scams, but as all systems, it's not a 100% efficient.

I'm a newbie and can absolutely confirm this. I got scammed (here's my report https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/--5300411 ) and although I agree that I should have used escrow to protect myself better, I was kind of shocked how things about scams are handled in this forum. In my case it wasn't an autobuy link but messaging directly with this scammer, found with a Google search and with apparently no negative feedback (but multiple positive ones). Getting in touch with the scammer on Telegram was much more convenient and quick for me, instead of registering on this forum (which I didn't need to do, since his contact details are publicly available).

After he scammed me, I registered to open a scam report, but in my case I registered only AFTER being scammed. So imho any disclaimer you guys are discussing should appear not only when you register but also when browse as a public guest. I feel it's really easy for a newbie to take the same route I took.

Additionally I expected the scammer to get at least be banned quickly and was astonished that despite countless reports and proof (even crisp video proof at one point) no action was going to be taken. In other communities I take part of, scammers like that don't last longer than a day - especially not if they barely provide any conclusive proof in their defense when there is a growing number of reports and unsolved question marks.