Posted by Kim on July 25, 2015, 11:15am
Not that long ago, I asked the community to help us sustain our tradition of welcoming new members with open arms. The response has been staggering.
There's been an increase of roughly 250% percent in old players welcoming new players. And that's more than just a number -- we know for a fact that new members who receive warm welcomes in their introductory topic are much more likely to become long-term members, are much more likely to engage with the wider community, and are more likely to reach out for help when they need it. Plus, I've seen many new members strike up friendships and RPs with the older members that greet them in their introductory topics.
Welcomers, thank you for all that you do. You are keeping our community strong. You deserve every accolade that you get.
For those of you who would like to be welcomers but feel a little awkward saying "welcome!" in a thread where five other people have just said essentially the same thing, I've got some tips to help you get started!
Remember that sometimes, it's okay to "repeat" a simple welcome. If you attend a party, and one person approaches you and says "hello, glad to meet you!" do you then think that everyone else at the party is being redundant when they greet you as well? Or would you feel ignored if only one person at the party gave you a welcome and then everyone else stared at you silently because they didn't want to be "repetitive"?
Even so, for those of you who would like to get more engaged, try some of these on for size:
- If the new member hasn't really said anything about themselves, ask some questions to let them know you're interested. What type of RP do you enjoy, how long have you been gaming, do you prefer pure story or do you like a dice system, what are your hobbies, do you have any pets, what book has most inspired you when it comes to character creation... the list of possibilities is endless.
- If you've got any areas of interest that overlap with theirs, such as RP genres, art, music preferences, deep dark fears, or whatever, mention it! It's a great way to help people feel that they are among friends.
- Sometimes, if the intro post is very short and doesn't have any info, it's because they've put some info about themselves on their profile and/or characters. Check there for ideas on how to relate!
- If you don't share their interests but you know that other people do, find a forum topic, group, news post, help article or perhaps even another member that deals with that interest, and give them the link!
- Offer to answer questions! Or, if they've asked a question, answer it!
- Be encouraging! One of the reasons people post short intros is that they are simply overwhelmed and don't know what to do. Let them know you get it and it's okay. "It can be hard to join a new group / learn all the ins and outs of such a big site / communicate in a language that isn't your native tongue / try a new way of doing things, but don't worry, because..."
- Some people like to include a silly image with their welcome, just to give it that extra warmth.
- And of course, if you feel so moved, offer to RP with them if you want.
I'm sure other people will have more ideas, too! Please post your own welcome ideas in the comments.
Comments
I only joined a week or two ago, but thanks to people being welcoming, I feel like a real part of this site, and now I welcome people too!
One thing I like to do is mention their username or icon if I like it or get a joke behind it.
One thing I like to do is mention their username or icon if I like it or get a joke behind it.
I've found that just doing my best to get to know someone rather than only welcome them makes it easier to reply to every single welcoming topic without feeling too redundant. (I don't know why, but it just feels different when my intention is to ask who they are as opposed to just saying "Hi!") Sometimes just telling them I too am curious to know more about them when others have asked the questions before me is a good middle ground and encourages someone to talk about themselves some more!
(I don't know why, but it just feels different when my intention is to ask who they are as opposed to just saying "Hi!") Sometimes just telling them I too am curious to know more about them when others have asked the questions before me is a good middle ground and encourages someone to talk about themselves some more!
Kim
July 27, 2015
8:13am