I’ll make it brief: I am reversing my position on the matter. Now I think we
should have a dedicated welcome board, where new folks can come in and take off their shoes. The purpose of this board would be for people to post those inevitable "Hello!" topics, as well as ask general questions of the most basic nature that might not be well-received on other boards.
My new thinking stems from the fact that, anecdotally, it seems as though there are many more “guests” who visit the Compendium nowadays. I can't see people's IP addresses—even though I am a so-called
Global Moderator, thank you very much Mr. Ramsus Rongware
—but I have to assume that many of these guests are unique.
A dedicated board would serve two purposes. First, site traffic is larger than I realized, and with so many new members joining up and so many more prospects waiting around, the General Board will not benefit from the clutter of additional “Hello!” topics, and at the same time it may no longer be a suitable place for new members to post such topics anyway. And, secondly, with so many potential new members floating around, a Welcome Board would give them an extra reason to sign up, encouraging our growth. I’m not a member of the pro-growth camp—I think that if people don’t want to sign up on their own volition, we shouldn’t try and change their minds—but, opportunist that I am, if I can use that argument to further my position on the Welcome Board, then so be it.
I am bringing this up here rather than privately with
THE MANAGEMENT, because a new general board affects everybody and I think a reading of the community pulse is in order. The Compendium already has such a large number of boards, that additional boards ought to be well-justified, and thus I also feel that only a compelling majority vote on this issue would legitimize a Welcome Board. Hence, I invite your vote. Anyone who has further comments is welcome to discuss them below, as well.
Guests without Compendium accounts are also welcome to chime in.
Poll