new HF members, start here >

**flatline** · 06-15-2011, 18:56

after reading the "Sticky Thread"...

perhaps the addition of a "new HF members START HERE" forum might help in regards to some of the, please forgive my language, redundancy that is sometimes the case here.

if there where a "sticky" (Start Here) attached to the first line of the "Home" and "Today"s Posts" pages directing HF users to all the other "sticky" threads much Search time would be saved. it would serve as a trail map to happy hanging, maybe.

i think something like this would have helped me find my way easier and faster. i'm sure that i am guilty of asking questions that had already been discussed in depth, for which i apologize. had i read through the Sticky threads first, my redundant questions may have been squelched or at least more refined. i'm just say'n...
__bob__

**Eliteoomph** · 06-15-2011, 20:24

yeah it may for some... but most people are still just going to ask the question... I has a thread that I am working on posting that I hope will help out a little bit to noobs... I'll post it sometime in the next week... It may help a little but there really isn't a whole lot you can do... Most people are just going to initially ask there questions and then search more and more and read stickies as they go a long...

**hippofeet** · 06-15-2011, 22:13

This sort of thing goes wrong fast. Maybe I should be a donating member before I have an opinion, though. But... I am on another forum where there is a set of rules at the home page, if you fail to follow them, you get dumped on and, depending on your attitude about it, instantly banned. It is a site for a specific group, so I guess they don't care, but it is rough on newcomers, down right hateful. It didn't start out that way.

**Eliteoomph** · 06-15-2011, 22:17

I think that is one thing that makes this forum so great... I hope it never heads down that direction... I think the problem is after a while the Godfather's so to speak start to forget what it is like to be new and they try to control the noobs.

People don't like to be controlled... As hard as it is, you have to let people make some mistakes for themselves... It is just human nature...

**hippofeet** · 06-15-2011, 22:19

It is certainly MY nature.

**flatline** · 06-15-2011, 22:55

asking and answering is cool i do a little of each, where i can.

when i log in, i find my self on the home page, and if there was a quick, easy to see, "jump to" sticky threads button i would have found them a little quicker and read through more of them sooner. not a mandatory prerequisite, just a trail blaze. kinda like a business sign, when you drive by you don't have to stop in, but it easier to see when you're cruising.

**angrysparrow** · 06-15-2011, 23:05

I'll see about making a list of stickies, and linking it from the Navbar. That indeed might help some folks get started.

But I think the repetition of topics is often a good thing. It actually makes newer members feel welcome, because they aren't afraid to ask questions and get involved. It lets them interact with the folks that have been here for a while, and in doing that any number of times we've seen an 'old' question get asked in a 'new' way and it sparks an idea for something we hadn't seen before!

If you're tired of reading and answering a repeated topic, just pass over the thread. We all started out by reading threads, asking questions, and talking it out. The new members should get the chance to do the same.

Some of the old hats around here have followed threads about just about every imaginable facet of hammocking (the forum is at 32,000 threads and counting!). After a while, you do eventually get to the point where only rarely do you see something that's new to you. At that point....it's normal to step back and check in only occasionally. Go use the hammocking info and skills you've learned in the real world, and enjoy! After all, the site is about sharing info rather than perpetually entertaining the senior members.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again now. I welcome all the new members and the fresh ideas they bring with them.

Viva la HF.

**flatline** · 06-15-2011, 23:14

i concur, the thought just occurred to me after reading the previously mentioned thread.
thanks for looking into it for us.

**Eliteoomph** · 06-16-2011, 00:18

Glad to know more people have this similar vision... Without this type of philosophy you would see a dramatic downturn in new members.

**Mancat** · 06-16-2011, 11:33

Originally Posted by angrysparrow

I'll see about making a list of stickies, and linking it from the Navbar. That indeed might help some folks get started.

But I think the repetition of topics is often a good thing. It actually makes newer members feel welcome, because they aren't afraid to ask questions and get involved. It lets them interact with the folks that have been here for a while, and in doing that any number of times we've seen an 'old' question get asked in a 'new' way and it sparks an idea for something we hadn't seen before!

If you're tired of reading and answering a repeated topic, just pass over the thread. We all started out by reading threads, asking questions, and talking it out. The new members should get the chance to do the same.

Some of the old hats around here have followed threads about just about every imaginable facet of hammocking (the forum is at 32,000 threads and counting!). After a while, you do eventually get to the point where only rarely do you see something that's new to you. At that point....it's normal to step back and check in only occasionally. Go use the hammocking info and skills you've learned in the real world, and enjoy! After all, the site is about sharing info rather than perpetually entertaining the senior members.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again now. I welcome all the new members and the fresh ideas they bring with them.

Viva la HF.

This is why we have the best forum on the net: Awesome Mods!!!