Why Join the Forum and Then Never Post an Intro?

I am of the opinion that the required introduction, which is clearly made known several times during the application process, is a common courtesy akin to introducing oneself when meeting someone new at a business meeting or social event.

The intro gives the broader membership an opportunity to learn something about the new member (dependent, of course, on the amount of info they choose to share). It also allows the membership to welcome all who are new to our group and that, hopefully, encourages them to participate more fully.

For management purposes, the introduction is the final step in the applicant screening process and serves a means to stop spammers from polluting the forum with their garbage and causing sometimes significant effort on the part of the moderator team to clean up the mess. This is because a New Member is only able to post in the New Member section until their membership status has been adjusted.

Were it not for the requirement, we would likely have several hundred more non-participating "members" who would never make a post. Those individuals can do that now by viewing the Forum as "guests." The added numbers would make us look much larger but the reality would remain that only a handful actually participated.

Why join a forum or club if you never intend to participate?

It may be a courtesy, perhaps even socially expected in some circles, but I wouldn't require it. This strikes me as similar to college professors who grade students on whether they talk in class or not. Some students aren't comfortable talking, don't have anything useful to say at the time, etc. The more productive way to get students (or any community members) to speak is to provide an environment that encourages it.

Obviously this isn't a college course, and people join forums, presumably, to discuss things, but my point is that people participating in a hobby might not want to be subject to requirements; it's a hobby, after all, not a school or a job. Most people would probably introduce themselves anyway (in my experience running an online group).

I understand your vested interest in keeping clutter off of the forum (and appreciate it), and I also understand not wanting to have hoards of inactive members. Some forums handle this by purging inactive members after a certain length of time. I just feel that granting full access and expecting *any* productive post (not necessarily an introduction) in a certain period of time would be sufficient.

All of that said, I respect that you have taken up leadership in this community, and you feel that this is the best way of working things for your own leadership style. I just wanted to give my two cents as to a reason why some people might not ever end up making that post. I'm a pretty social person and it was a little bit iffy for me to join a place that required it; the more anxious or shy collectors may turn around and look the other way, or join but then change their mind. It is indeed a welcoming place and I have never felt disrespected or unsafe here, but being required to make an intro post may not *feel* welcoming to some.

Great work Admin !! We are lucky - René

I guess I come down on the opposite side of the argument. If someone can;t take the effort to answer one email and then make one introduction, they most likely would not have been better than a lurker.

Let me add another data point to that which my good friend, Admin, provided above.

Since I began keeping track, 265 individuals have either: a) requested membership and then never responded to the email confirming their understanding of two key "rules," or b) have been granted membership after confirming their understanding but then never posted the required introduction.

I only take part in any real sense in this forum.  I've been a member of a fractals forum for at least 10 years and I'm averaging a solid 1.0 posts per year on that one.   On a racing forum I'm not quite able to keep up a rate of 0.4 posts per year.  Oh well - Lurkers R Us (or Me).  I understand the lurking mentality and I don't condemn it.  There may come a time again when I have something to say over on those other forums but I'm happy to just watch in the meantime.  Gangway, please, Chauncey Gardner coming through!



Ryan

Can someone please tell me why no matter how many threads/conversations I participate in the number that shows my posts never get higher. I have ben stuck at 30 for a long time. I will never get to the magic fifty. Or. is it that somehow, I am doing something wrong that is causing the counter to never increment?
Thanks, Nick

Thank you for the guidance. To tell you the truth I never noticed the "POST QUICK REPY" button. I thought REPLY was the most important button as it is bright blue and right in your face. How I missed the Quik reply I have no excuse for. I appreciate your quick response, Nick

I wish more members would post their ideas, thoughts, on subjects that are covered on stamps and how it impacts us as collectors, and citizens of the world. Interaction is always a positive in my opinion. If we disagree, well, that is okay. No reason to get hostile. I think a lot of people don't want to get into with anyone or be criticized for their thoughts. Which in my mind, is not great when someone attacks another person's thoughts on a subject. Rational adults should be able to give and take and still remain civil and even might a bit of education. Especially some younger collectors who want to find out about the world and events that have happened before they were born. I know my children are not as knowledgeable about various countries in the world. That is why I became a worldwide collector so I could learn. That was a feeling that was sparked in school by a teacher I admired. Now 50 or 60 years later that wanting to know is still moving me forward with stamp collecting. In my opinion stamp collecting opens the world up and educates in a non-threatening way. The stamp commemorates events, and educates about daily living in that particular county. It is time well spent.

Share images of some of your collection, tell us what it is that brought you to collect it or what it is that you like about it; post items that you are having difficulty identifying; contribute on the Postmark calendar thread, the Watcha Been Stampin thread, or the Today's Mail thread, for example; post images of stamps with descriptions that fit any of the many topical threads. We welcome contributions by collectors of every level of expertise and no one who wants to remain a Forum member will ever criticize or belittle.

A suggestion, if you encounter a post which you find quite interesting in which the poster has taken extra effort, why not take a moment to post a line or two about what you liked about it - perhaps a topic you were unaware of, or a topic which brought you new information on a topic, or a simple thank-you for taking the time to create a post.

Thanks for the suggestion JeffS. If I would have responded to posts that would be helpful to me I would also have an easier time finding the post again.