Your Opinion about the newb population

[Furzball]

Ok, so I'm going to throw open this subject without sharing my opinion. Some of the regulars can guess it. What I've noticed is every once and awhile there will be an influx of Newbs/N00BS that come onto the board. Some of them may turn out to be helpful. Some used for entertainment. Some just want to cause headaches, and so on.

So I'm just curious on peoples opinions on this subject. I won't make a hint or suggestion list of answers since it's up to the individual to have their opinions.

Oh and if you think I'm opening this up to be a troll or cause I just got put on watched for being "excessive" towards Dark_Ansem. That's wrong. I actually see the Newb hoard as a problem on all boards and if it can be fixed here in a creative and logical manner, I'm willing to get the ball rolling. But recent events have just caused me a headache where I get Nazi about them.  In fact that gives me an idea of a better avatar from star trek to better show my personality then sonic. So sending this post out probably either throwing a noose around my or the bulls neck. Going to be a rodeo either way. Oh well, come what may.

[Kudistos Megistos]

I get Nazi about them.

I've found the problem.

No, srsly. You're making too big a deal about it. There have always and will always be noobs; that's just forum life. These noobs are always an annoyance, but they aren't anywhere near as much of a problem as you're making them out to be. Let me ask, do noobs cause the good threads to be lost? Are there so many of them that the good posts get drowned out and become impossible to find? No they are not. At the moment (and since I've been here) the noobs rarely do anything worse than make the forums look less neat than we'd like them to be. Don't blow everything out of proportion.

And remember, the unpleasant atmosphere that is created when >9000 people pile in on one newcomer who has made one post that is against the rules, each saying the same thing that the last one said, is far worse for the forums than a few threads that are out of place or break one of the other more minor rules.

[Shankifer]

I've followed this forum for a while before I made a profile.

Not defending the noobs, or the noob-haters here.

I might be a noob or I might not be. Although my profile says I'm a fast newbie

My thoughts on the subject, since I'm assuming this thread isn't for non-noobs only, are that you get irritated and aggravated by ignorance of people in general.

Most "Noobs" are told they are doing something wrong with sarcasm or threats. Not saying that is right or wrong, just saying that if you truly want them to be something other that annoying, it may be best to help them out. I know it seems so much easier to give someone a sarcastic response or threaten them and tell them how stupid they are for not reading the rules, But if the time was taken to send a PM or even just answer the "noob-post" with a generally informative and friendly answer, it might encourage them to go read the rules or even to just be careful of what they post.

I really didn't spend much time reading the rules *although I did* and I kind of got flamed for some of my very early posts debating Legal issues. But since then I've just stuck to giving opinions and whatnot, being careful what I post, and steering away from any threads talking borderline material.


My 2 issues with the way that new members are treated is 1.that there is 0 respect for them, and everyone acts superior unless they contribute something. I'm sure a lot of people that join this thread are very interested/inspired by what people do in these forums and are interested in helping and/or learning more. Unless they have something to show though, It's like they're just a nuisance.

Issue # 2 is that they are labeled as noobs. Because face it, If it wasn't labeled, you wouldn't be able to know for sure. and might think twice before blurting out a threat or something

Okay to wrap this up I just want to say that everything I typed here is an opinion of the GENERAL things that I see.
This is not a text-wall trying to bash you Furzball, you just kind of sparked my interest to type my thoughts up. The things I mention are just some things I see while browsing around. A key thing to remember is that everyone has struggled understand something new at one point, and for the "noobs" being in a forum/ a new forum might be something they struggle with understanding. I'm sure there are members of other forums that come here thinking that their forum rules are all that apply here. Okay that's all for now.
Feel free to criticize my opinion
Sorry for the long reply

[Furzball]

"Holy Textwall Batman"s are welcome. And I did get that you weren't bashing me but glad you made sure that I wouldn't take it that way. You describe your point of view very well and I have nothing to bash on it.

There have always and will always be noobs; that's just forum life. These noobs are always an annoyance, but they aren't anywhere near as much of a problem as you're making them out to be.

Probably true but...

noobs rarely do anything worse than make the forums look less neat than we'd like them to be.

Yeah remember my Nazi quote. Whenever I'm on forums I turn into abit of a neat freak. Especially clutter like people coming on here to fix one issue they have with the PC version. Usually they could google or search qhimm for the answer. Not only that but they leave after only a  couple of posts. Now I've tried not to be power hungry for a long time but I seriously want to go through and get the facelift that this site needs done. I'd be the guy who'd call into work sick (like I did today to go get starcraft II during what would have been the middle of my shift) and just have a field day of moving stuff around, deleting garbage, new layout, so on and so forth. I know it's being done but it's being done in the slowest of manners.

Plus I'd try to make it more difficult for noobs just to register for quick answers. Probably would create a guest area for people that wont be on the board much. The registration button would at first take you to a screen where you'd have to read and check off rules. Plus see the links to several FAQS and such that would answer most questions.

Sorry if that seems like a scary idea and might scare some new members away but personally, I'd rather scare 90% of the new people away and get the 10% that are cool or actually helpful.

[sl1982]

Personally i think a user needs to be registered for a week before they can post. It would prevent most of the 1 question guys.

[Furzball]

Personally i think a user needs to be registered for a week before they can post. It would prevent most of the 1 question guys.

That's a good suggestion. I'd say do that. Then do the same thing as Abovetopsecret where they are stuck to posting in one area, say an introductions area, until they get to like 20 posts. We can put rules and such there plus give them their warnings. Basically An area to be dumb for 20 or so posts. After that, there shouldn't be any excuse. Plus it would act sorta as a spambox. Gets cleaned every week.

[Kudistos Megistos]

Yeah remember my Nazi quote. Whenever I'm on forums I turn into abit of a neat freak.

Then the problem is yours, not theirs. Wanting the forums to be neat is fine, but reacting the way you do to the clutter is excessive.

Sorry if that seems like a scary idea and might scare some new members away but personally, I'd rather scare 90% of the new people away and get the 10% that are cool or actually helpful.

Yeah, somehow I don't think it will work like that. You'd certainly scare away plenty of good people as well as bad ones; it's impossible to be completely accurate when it comes to deciding which newcomers are worthy of staying here and which aren't. Good users also tend to make more good posts than bad users do bad ones. Trust me, the amount of bad posts you'd prevent by scaring off newcomers wouldn't come close to justifying the amount of good ones that you'd prevent.

BTW, there was once a country that used to have very strict limits on who could breed and who could live there. If the legends are to be believed, they tested the pain endurance of babies and threw them off cliffs if they were deemed weak and therefore unsuitable to become citizens.

That country suffered from severe population decline and died not long afterwards. The same will happen to this forum if we decide to be unreasonably picky about who can come here.

[sl1982]

I agree with kudistos ( i know, shocker.) Everyone should be allowed on here. Many users will read the rules and do just fine. Many others will not and will be warned and then become productive members. Others will break rule after rule and will be dealt with. If we make it diffucult to become a member then we risk the chance of losing members that would help the community immensely.

[Furzball]

BTW, there was once a country that used to have very strict limits on who could breed and who could live there. If the legends are to be believed, they tested the pain endurance of babies and threw them off cliffs if they were deemed weak and therefore unsuitable to become citizens.

That country suffered from severe population decline and died not long afterwards. The same will happen to this forum if we decide to be unreasonably picky about who can come here.

Seen it done on Soul-Fantasy.Net In both Twisted Worlds and Shinra Forums. Only reason site died was cause the couple that owned it had a fight and the husband closed the site. But it lasted a good 10 years at least (awesome for a roleplay board) small group of very good roleplayers. Busy enough that you'd always get something to post or do. I got invited onto the site from I think the Turk Boards. While I was in middle school. Kinda is strange to get into an elitist group at that age. But yeah, the husband threw me off the site just after he welcomed me and I signed up cause the site was hacked at about the same time lol. Eventually I convinced the wife it wasn't me and she got me back on and started my grand adventures roleplaying. Only time it started slowing down was in the later years but it only slowed down to the pace of other top roleplay boards that focus on one theme. (so no counting stuff like gaiaonline). But it was definantly a picky place. My highschool girlfriend got refused to the point of tears. Actually once class bell rang and I got away I laughed.

Just saying, as long as there is a main group into the main focus of the forum, it'll always be run. Just won't get so many Hermoors.

[Kudistos Megistos]

O RLY?

Imagine how much better the forums would have been if it'd had more than three members

Also bear in mind that these forums have a completely different purpose. On social forums, unpleasant members might cause very serious problems, but these forums are different. It's the ideas and the mods that matter, and the more life there is to the forums and the more openness there is, there more good ideas and mods there are going to be.

Actually, when I think about it, my habit of comparing the running of forums to the running of countries is more appropriate than I thought it would be. There is often greater social harmony in small countries that are closed to outsiders and in which most people think the same way and have the same values. For a strongly social forum, like a role-play board, a small and tight-nit but closed forum might be better.

However, things like creativity and scientific and technological accomplishment are higher in bigger countries with a more open philosophy, even if those countries are full of idiots. Compare the US to Japan. Japanese people seem to be more educated on average and the country doesn't tolerate failure in the same way that the US does. However, the US is the one winning all the Nobel prizes despite being the home of 150 million people who believe that the Earth was created last Thursday. Why? For one thing, there are more people, and therefore a greater number of potentially talented people. For another, the open society is more favourable to progress than the closed one, which stifles excellence. For a site like this, it's better to try to be like the open country than the closed one.

[Furzball]

O RLY?

Imagine how much better the forums would have been if it'd had more than three members

Also bear in mind that these forums have a completely different purpose. On social forums, unpleasant members might cause very serious problems, but these forums are different. It's the ideas and the mods that matter, and the more life there is to the forums and the more openness there is, there more good ideas and mods there are going to be.

Actually, when I think about it, my habit of comparing the running of forums to the running of countries is more appropriate than I thought it would be. There is often greater social harmony in small countries that are closed to outsiders and in which most people think the same way and have the same values. For a strongly social forum, like a role-play board, a small and tight-nit but closed forum might be better.

However, things like creativity and scientific and technological accomplishment are higher in bigger countries with a more open philosophy, even if those countries are full of idiots. Compare the US to Japan. Japanese people seem to be more educated on average and the country doesn't tolerate failure in the same way that the US does. However, the US is the one winning all the Nobel prizes despite being the home of 150 million people who believe that the Earth was created last Thursday. Why? For one thing, there are more people, and therefore a greater number of potentially talented people. For another, the open society is more favourable to progress than the closed one, which stifles excellence. For a site like this, it's better to try to be like the open country than the closed one.

Wow... that's a good way of explaining it... would I look bad for saying that if this was an actual debate that you'd get the prize. I still don't like newbs but yeah, as you explained it, it's all about counting your eggs. Some may be rotten, some sour. Others will be regular eggs or candy eggs. I'd suppose I'm the rubber egg. Hours of fun but not the oh so good feeling of food or candy.

Aww... I'd still have to say it was the best forum I'd ever been on. It was like being in a family with an abusive dad 
Only survivors I know of are the urban dead group that has ressurected to 100 members. I'd say thats pretty good. Twisted worlds had alittle above 10 people active and a few that would be weekend warriors. Same with Shinra Inc. But Shinra inc had about 30 members. Most hailing from a dying Turks board.

Oh, one cute thing I forgot to mention. The owners named their daughter Aerith.