Okay, I know discobot is here to stay. But the damned thing has one particular habit that REALLY bugs the crap out of me. Every time a new Doper submits their inaugural post, it interrupts the thread with that inane announcement This is the first time [New_Doper] has posted — let’s welcome them to our community!
Not only does the announcement itself break the flow of the thread, can you imagine if we all (or even a significant percentage of us) DID drop the discussion and start posting “Welcome Aboard!” messages to New_Doper? Instant hijack!
We’re all adults here (not to mention some of the the smartest, hippest people on the internet, give or take a dipstick or two). We don’t need to be reminded of our manners by some poppins-bot. So unless THAT particular feature can be disabled, here’s my suggestion.
On the registration page, when a registrant hits “submit,” navigate them to a thread in ATMB or MPSIMS. This thread will be titled “Hi! This is My First Time posting!” Brand new Dopers will there be invited to post This is the first time I have posted — please welcome me to the community! This would allow discobot to carry out its completely useless function, and save the rest of us the irritation of having our Kirk v. Picard debates (and other more weighty matters – assuming there are any) interrupted by these off-topic shout-outs.
There would, of course, be nothing compulsory about this. The new Doper would be free to navigate away from the thread without posting. And older Dopers could always drop in to the thread and actually welcome the new arrivals. Because IME we are, by and large, a cordial and welcoming bunch. It’s a big part of what makes us so smart and hip.
Personally, I don’t find the announcements that obtrusive. As a mod, I actually find them useful, since I may give a closer look to a new poster just in case it’s a returning sock. And forcing new posters into a new thread (even if they are not required to post) instead of actually posting on the subject they intended to post about strikes me as the opposite of friendly, and something that possibly could be confusing and inhibiting. In other words, you are trying to solve something that isn’t much of a problem with something I find much more obnoxious.
Point taken. I’ll note that you as a moderator have an articulable reason for not personally finding them obtrusive. And wrt your sense that it has the potential to send mixed messages about our welcoming nature, toss the part about an auto-redirect to my suggested thread.
In all honesty though, istm that the auto-redirect is the only thing that could make such a thread viable. Which, if I withdraw that aspect, makes this pretty much a gripe thread, and mostly suitable for the Pit (or possibly Site Feedback). Feel free to move it or close it, at your discretion.
Don’t get me started on frikkin discobot. I’ve been tussling with that bucket of bolts for months. So if you want to mix it up with him, you can take it to this thread:
Only one? Given how much you have complained about it, I get the impression that everything little thing about Discobot including its mere existence seems to bug the crap out of you.
I personally find the announcements to be very useful, and not just as a moderator. Some people do welcome newbies in the thread where the welcome message appears, and it doesn’t cause any problems within that thread and doesn’t really disrupt the flow of the thread.
No, we’re not. If a newbie accidentally raises a zombie because a google search brought them here and they didn’t pay attention to the post dates, they will be greeted by zombie jokes and complaints. And if they post something that doesn’t quite conform to our standards (not realizing that opinions about something should be in IMHO and that they should avoid such in GQ, for example) then again all they get are complaints for something that they could not reasonably be expected to know ahead of time.
There are some folks who are warm and welcoming to newbies, but there are many here who aren’t. This is something that as a whole the SDMB community really needs to improve (IMHO).
In that context, I find the welcome messages to be extremely useful, if for no other reason than as a reminder to warm and welcoming to the newbie and keep in mind that they don’t know our culture. Maybe then they won’t think we’re a bunch of unfriendly a-holes and maybe they’ll actually want to stick around and become a part of our community.
Having run into both of these as a new poster, i think it’s nice to have a little welcome message. And i hope that more established posters take it to heart.
I could do without all the “welcome poster with slightly different name than on the old board, this is the first time he’s posted” messages, but they are becoming less and less common, and should go away on their own.
I like that little message. It’s useful to know when people are newbies and it also shows us what sort of content attract new members to speak up. If it encourages people to welcome them as part of their reply then all the better. It’s not exactly a massive flashing message either - I don’t think it remotely interrupts the flow of a thread (whatever that is).
I get the joke (Galaxy Quest is one of my all-time favorite movies) and know that your comment wasn’t really one of those “har-har boobies!” posts that this board has labored so carefully to eliminate. Plus you’re a mod and everything. But … ISTM there is a faint chance your comment could be misinterpreted.
I clicked the link, as I assume is obvious from my reference to Galaxy Quest. The comment just struck me as inconsistent with recent efforts to do away with the tiresome jokes about women’s bodies, especially coming from a mod. But if I’m the only person who feels that way, I’m happy to let that molehill shrink away to nothingness.
I thought it would be obvious to anyone who has actually seen the movie that the joke isn’t about objectifying women’s bodies, it’s actually poking fun at those who objectify women’s bodies to point out how silly and stupid it is to do so. The scene linked to actually highlights the fact she serves no practical purpose on the ship and that she is only there to be eye candy. She has one job, and it’s stupid, but she is one of the most popular characters on the “show” because she has blonde hair and a push-up bra.
Apologies if this did not come across as intended.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame. — Alexander Pope
discobot.