New Members Intro & Input to TG

goldleaf
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 7:54 pm

Matt mentioned today that there are a lot more TG members signed up, compared to the number of people we have putting up posts. I think he also pointed out that since there are a core of us "posters" who know each other and speak in terms of almost code, jokes of past posts etc. that new members would not feel welcome to make remarks or feel they have anything to add to this core group. I beieve in our efforts to welcome everybody or I'm not sure what, we are not creating an atmosphere where the new members feel they have something to add. I am throwing this out for your response and to see if you got the same message that I did from Matt. I may have misread or misunderstood the point he was trying to get across so I look forward to others intreptations of what Matt said during the live broadcast today. Matt, maybe you could jump in and comment re: my above post & the point you mentioned today about the large number of new members but small number of those making posts. Gary


goldleaf
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:08 pm

Excuse my last thread, I just finished reading Matt's much more indepth post regarding new rules and guidelines for the forum which makes my above post I believe unnecessary. Sorry, Gary


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Music Junkie
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:11 pm

Gary:

I don't think Matt was saying we were not making people feel welcome. He actually went out of his way to say thanks for the warm welcomes. I took it as him saying: "Use your judgment and post accordingly. Let's keep this a fun GUITAR place for everyone". I get that.

I am very guilty of making wise cracks in threads, and if I have offended ANYONE, I sincerely apologize for it. It was all meant in fun. That being said, I am curious to see others interpretations as well. Image


tovo
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:20 pm

I'm very new, the fact that I talk too much accounts for the number of posts I have made in a very short time. Can I make the observation that every forum I have ever participated in has the issue of relatively few people actually posting compared to the number of members so this is nothing unusual.

I can only speak for myself and say I have felt quite welcome. I do support the move to get the subject on music, for example I thought the political thread was a poor idea as people are SO passionate about their politics, almost invariably someone will get offended and it creates a bad vibe.

Everyone, me included, writes stuff now and again that they would rather take back. In my intro thread I said that I find remarks about other people's countries and how they don't measure up to be unhelpful, and then during TG live I did precisely that to Chas. As soon as I wrote it I felt hypocritical. Of course it was a joke and (I believe) he took it as such but it was a case of engaging the keyboard before the brain. Sometimes the tone that you are intending (usually humour) falls flat as the intent often doesn't come across well in print.

I think the effort Matt is taking to remind people of respect for others and get back on the reason we are all here is worthwhile.

Cheers,

Tony


Chasplaya
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:21 pm

I love this site and I have loved the Forums which are instrumental in help make it (TG) the unique place it is. With care and moderation it has potential to be even better. I love the camraderie which is unique in comparison to other places I've been a member.

A couple of points:

a. We don't know how many TARGET members there are.

b. We don't have data which gives an indication of how many members of other sites don't post, to use as a benchmark for what should be expected. Lets face it some people don't post they just read.

c. Sometimes the posts don't require an answer, they are just statements (often in the wrong place!)

e. We don't really know each other and what is good for one may not be good for others

d. Some of us (me included) have probably become very familiar over time with other members and feel comfortable in saying certain things, this is obviously quite foreign to newbies and might seem daunting or even downright rude!.

f. We have been allowed to self moderate and on occasion that hasn't worked. Like any society we need rules.

g. As members we don't see or hear any of the complaints nor should we. What we should do is accept that this occurs and needs to be dealt with and that includes us beiong more careful in what we say and how we say it.

h. Welcoming people is fine IMHO, but when we hijack a thread of welcome and go off on a tangent that is downright rude really (20:20 hindsight is marvelous I know!!) But the resultant outcome could easily be a lost member!

i. Forums and written words do not get inflection across very well and it is so easy to misinterpret the written word, therefore extra caution is required. I've stated this in a very early post and even then that got misinterpreted!

j. Rules are essential otherwise we have or have the potential for anarchy!

k. Most 'charter' members have been guilty of going off at tangents, then the Thread name becomes meaningless, and if you go to the thread because of the name and it doesn't reflect the title then new members could easily become confused and not come back. Just cos most of us here no different doesn't mean newbies will.

l. It is too easy to be brave and make comments on the internet as it is quite common for people on Forums to get a false sense of bravado and say things they would never dare to say to someones face.

Phew , thats a bit to be going on with. So team lets not spoil it.


goldleaf
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:38 pm

Since my initial post re: this issue I have reflected on what is rewarded or accepted as good on TG i.e.,when someone hits 1000 posts or 200 it seemed to be a positive thing to be congratulated. Also I noted that there was a list of I believe 5 people listed as Top Members. I noted that the Top Members were the ones that had the most posts, joined the most groups and had the most friends, in general being active appeared to be a goal to aim for in TG. I never intended to be one of the top members simply because I don't have the time to be on the forums. I think Matt's new guidlines helped clear that issue up for me & will help me focus more on practicing and using the Forums for the many music related questions I do have. This includes guitar and woods, they are constructed of, tips on tuning, strings, video productions and computer questions related to participating in TG. Gary


reiver
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:40 pm

Hi guys

Maybe I too can speak up as a relative newcomer.

I joined about a week ago and was really surprised to see Matt's post today as I haven't seen anything that I would have considered offensive to anyone - but mabe I'm looking at the wrong threads. I haven't looked at the politics category, cos frankly that's not why I come to this site. And i have definitely not seen anything that could be construed as offensive to Neil or any of the TG team. I have started a couple of threads and have been very happy with the constructive way that they have been received and the discussions that have arisen from them.

Also, did I misunderstand Matt during the live broadcast or did he say that he had become angry at some of the stuff posted during the broadcast - or was he just recalling the previous posts/complaints that he had already received. It was a bit unclear.

I know that some attempts at humour can be misread as you can't get the vocal inflection that you would use to make the joke more obvious, and if there are people on the site for whom English is not their first language - then that could make it even harder to tell.

Hope this makes some sense. It's 2:40am and I should be in bed!

r


haoli25
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:48 pm

I am not sure if I am one of the guilty. It was surely not my intention to offend or upset anyone. If I have, I sincerely apologize. I tink I will read more and post less. lol



Bill


Chasplaya
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:49 pm

goldleaf wrote:
Since my initial post re: this issue I have reflected on what is rewarded or accepted as good on TG i.e.,when someone hits 1000 posts or 200 it seemed to be a positive thing to be congratulated. Also I noted that there was a list of I believe 5 people listed as Top Members. I noted that the Top Members were the ones that had the most posts, joined the most groups and had the most friends, in general being active appeared to be a goal to aim for in TG. I never intended to be one of the top members simply because I don't have the time to be on the forums. I think Matt's new guidlines helped clear that issue up for me & will help me focus more on practicing and using the Forums for the many music related questions I do have. This includes guitar and woods, they are constructed of, tips on tuning, strings, video productions and computer questions related to participating in TG. Gary
As a so called 'top member', its because I was here virtually from day one, it is axiomatic that I and others of a similar ilk are high up the list due the fact we've been here the longest. Its never been a goal of mine, its just something thats occurred over time. My post count equates to 7 per day since the beginning. Reward and sense of achievement are important in a learning environment and that includes the immediate environs, here that is the Forum. I am a Training Manager by profession and have been a Training Developer and Designer for over 25 years so I feel I have the necessary background to comment on this, I have found a lot of good principles in Adult Learning occurring here either by osmosis or by design, this is a positive in terms of ability to learn. If you are uncomfortable in your environment you will not learn, simple as that. (Note this is adult learning I am talking about, which I have studied extensively) However, as pointed out in my post in this thread earlier, we do need to clean up our act and we do need rules.


goldleaf
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Sat Sep 26, 2009 9:06 pm

Chas, I am greatful for the time and effort you and others have put into TG, I feel I have been a recipient of the answers to many questions I had as a new TG member and I'm sure I will have more. Thank you, you are much appreciated. Gary


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