New forum suggestions

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

So, it just now hit me, almost five years after joining.

We don't have an Introductions forum.

Not necessarily that we need one or anything, but I just think that it would be a nice idea. Put up a thread for the Mods/Admins to let people know who's new, who's quitting, who's leaving for an extended period of time, etc. Also, we could incorporate that into our requirements for keeping your account here. I remember a while back Feathin saying something about that. I'm not sure if it ever took off or not...

Anyway, it would make the "New users post here" thread moot, as now we have a whole forum to do that stuff in.

I'm going to set this up as a poll and run it for two weeks. If there's a lot of interest in it, I'll PM DarkGod and get his take on it. If not, I won't bother the mad god.

So vote and discuss!

[Valathor]

Anyway, it would make the "New users post here" thread moot, as now we have a whole forum to do that stuff in.

We do have a makeshift Intro thread for new users to post in to help cut back on spam


http://forum.t-o-m-e.net/viewtopic.php?t=13368


It's not quite the same as what your talking about but in any case it's pretty close; unless I'm misunderstanding you???

But it does sound like a good idea to make a dedicated forum for that, b/c it would definitely be more direct and noticeable for a new user...

Though it could end up being a waste of web space...

In any case I vote "yes", it's worth a shot at least....(it would add the sense of professionalism to the forums )

[madmonk]

I am a member of another (extremely active) forum - building record decks and they have a Welcome section...

If you look here you will see what I mean.

We could include a section for new members to post in along with a bunch of info on the forum and so on.

Needless to say I voted yes.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

@Valathor: Yeah, I know there's already an Intro-type thread. What I was driving at though was a forum for the reasons exactly as you stated: it would be more noticeable to new users. I personally find that a thread for introductions is somewhat impersonal.

Also, if you're voting one way or another, I'd like to hear your reasoning behind why you're voting that way. Particularly to the people who vote no on the poll. I'd like to know why you're voting no so that I can address that issue properly.

[Wastrel]

well if the options were yes/no/indifferent; I'd pick indifferent.

I do notice a sudden burst of new people the last few months, which has certainly livened things up a bit. I'm not sure if it's more people than a sticky thread can handle. I don't have a problem with welcome posts in the General forum, but if you want to segregate them that's ok too!

Like I said, I'm indifferent.

[Gwai]

I said no because it sounds like sort of a boring forum and diluting doesn't help. Still, I wont' be horribly upset if we do.

[Yottle]

I say yes. Besides the new user thread, there are some other newbie threads that could be moved over there.

[Gwai]

That particular fact is important. In fact, I'll take back my vote. Anything we can do to make certain answers more accessible (and not have to answer them as often) would be good.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

What exactly are you guys thinking of putting in there?

[madmonk]

Well at least the following:

General Discussion
New Users Post Here
Forum Etiquette
Strategies
Real Beginner Strategy

The Real Beginner Strategy may be best in Strategy, if that is decided on then at least a link to it so it can be viewed by beginners.

Plus
A note on Macros
A note on Tactics
A FAQ on commonly raised topics (fonts, displays, Vista, etc)
A search function hint...

Lots of other things which I can't remember right now!

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

That's a lot of sticky topics...

I'd say we only have two or three at the very most.

Forum Etiquette and a topic which has links to all of the topics and fora that you just recommended. Possibly one other...

[IckyThingBane]

That's a lot of sticky topics...

I don't think that a lot of sticky topics is necessarily a bad thing. If we assume that all posts are going to be along the lines of 'Hi, I'm X and have been playing roguelikes for Y years and particularly like ToME because Z', then we can probably only reasonably expect 2-4 per month. On the other hand, the topics mentioned above would be a really useful gateway to the game and 6-7 would hardly clog the forum; a more accessible wiki, if you will.

[madmonk]

One of the things that I found confusing when I first came on board, was the dispersed nature of all the information that was available.

Having a one-stop shop, as it were, where a new person could go and see all the info (or at very least links to the info) would be incredibly useful.

That's a lot of sticky topics...

I was being restrained I actually think we could put a lot more in there that new users would find useful.

[Wastrel]

That's a lot of sticky topics...

I don't think that a lot of sticky topics is necessarily a bad thing. If we assume that all posts are going to be along the lines of 'Hi, I'm X and have been playing roguelikes for Y years and particularly like ToME because Z', then we can probably only reasonably expect 2-4 per month. On the other hand, the topics mentioned above would be a really useful gateway to the game and 6-7 would hardly clog the forum; a more accessible wiki, if you will.

I agree. Many of the same problems come up in the General Forum at least once a month. Some of the problems are explained in the documentation if the newbie knows where to look. (lets face it, there is a lot of info to absorb if you've never played a roguelike before).

Even a dozen well named sticky posts in a welcome forum would still leave plenty of room for chatter posts.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Alright... I think I've gotten enough feedback...

I'll bring it up to DG and see what he thinks. I might be Admin, but he can still whip me into shape...

Anyway, if anyone has any really good reasons why we shouldn't bother, speak now.