We're going to appoint people in each of the subforums to welcome newbies in by an automated PM and show them how things work in the particular subforum.
The appointment thing is so that at least one person knows it is their job, and so the newbie doesn't get buried under a PM onslaught the first time they post.
We will give the appointee (now called Heralds) a spiffy icon badge so people will know they are on the job for everybody. There will also be access to a report that shows who is new in the subforum.
If you want to apply for the position, all you have to do is post a welcome draft here. That way, a moderator will consider you. If someone else has already applied for the position, don't worry! Multiple people can apply for one subforum.
This is a list
of the heralds that have already been appointed and the subforums that still need heralds.
Open sections with inactive heralds:
- Betsyandthe Five Avengers — World Building
- Ori Doodle — Old Folks Home
- Cyto Zytokine — New Media
- Totemic Hero — Webcomics
- JHM — Music
- Parable — On-Topic Conversations
- GastonRabbit — Content Violation Discussions
Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 7th 2024 at 8:33:43 AM
Zzzzzzzzzz
Sounds like the job description of a Friendly Native Guide, to me.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
|like a boss|
I took the liberty of adding the two names thusfar proposed.
I'd like to volunteer for Yack Fest, but first I'd like to be a bit clearer on my duties. Essentially whenever a new person comes in, I'd (hypothetically) just send them a PM, introducing them and showing them the important parts of the subforum? Or the forum as a whole?
I also assume I link to the rules and take some time to explain basic etiquette, right?
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I'll add that too.
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:16:49 PM by BlixtySlycat
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
I'm an Irene!
I vote for Forum Herald still. 
|like a boss|
I actually like Friendly Native Guide better, since it sounds very tropelike without being pompous and without being Totally Radical.
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:18:00 PM by BlixtySlycat
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
Game Master
I approve of Friendly Native guide, and nominate daltar to be the Role-playing Guide.
TVTropes Nuzlocke Thread. - Arceus Help Us All.
nonarySpade
I think certain megathreads (e.g. The Trash Heap) should have their own introducer person.
They call themselves seamstresses -Feet Of Clay
|like a boss|
Kex: That'd be kind of silly, wouldn't it? I realize that said threads are mostly self-contained, but they're not things that need an introduction to like the rest of the subforum does.
Personally I'd include the trash heap as one of my Threads of Note. Since it's been a fixture for awhile and has its own spinoff site.
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
Duties:
- Check for subforum newbies daily.
- PM Newbies. Welcome them to the subforum. Explain what the subforum is for. Point out any ways that this subforum is different from the other subforums. Let them know you are available by PM for questions.
... Yeah. That's is pretty much it.
Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
vigilantly taxonomish
I immediately pictured a racist movie character type along the lines of Magical Negro or Noble Savage. That might just be me jumping to the worst possible interpretation. >_>
How about Newbie Nakama? *shot*
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:23:53 PM by BobbyG
Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text-Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The Staff
|like a boss|
Bobby: ._.
- PM Newbies. Welcome them to the subforum. Explain what the subforum is for. Point out any ways that this subforum is different from the other subforums. Let them know you are available by PM for questions.
Sounds good to me.
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:27:31 PM by BlixtySlycat
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
I'm an Irene!
@FE: My pm back was before I saw you write that out in this topic.(what you need to say) My draft would be incomplete. Sorry about that.
Quest 64 thread
By the way, if you get a snotty "buzz off" reply to the PM, holler that right away. Super clear sign of a person we don't need.
Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
How about Ferguson? In Mark Twain's book "Innocents Abroad" he and his fellow travelers called all of their guides Ferguson, they claimed it made it easier.
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:32:06 PM by blackcat
I'm an Irene!
Does everyone know what a Ferguson is? While I voted for Forum Herald originally, I could work with Forum Guide too.
Duly noted, FE.
Quest 64 thread
I have to admit, I really do like this idea and I would be willing to do it for the TRS, if the TRS didn't keep me busy enough with my current set of responsibilities. I do have no issue answering newbie questions, but tracking down subforum newbies is the hard bit.
Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:40:19 PM by nrjxll
I volunteer for Writer's Block. I have the newbie's thread on my watchlist, and I can easily spot a newcomer. Plus, I am familar with most of the regular functions, I check the pinned threads several times daily.
All I need to do is to create a template for the PM—and work on that pinned thread we're currently discussing at Writer's Block.
Hmm..."Forum Greeter".
EDIT: I notice you changed the crowner code. Way more streamlined.
edited 22nd Dec '11 3:00:47 PM by chihuahua0
I've been asking volunteers for an example of their welcoming PM. Blixty's is a good model to follow:
(formatting is stripped, but you get the idea, there are links to the things referred to)
Yack Fest is our informal conversation / hangout board. Most threads here are about a casual topic of some kind, the conversation is generally light and derails are permitted, so you won't generally get in trouble for being off-topic unless you're deliberately trying to mess up a thread.
There are many threads in Yack Fest and they tend to come and go, but the largest and longest-lived are the megathreads. Generally, these cover an incredibly broad topic about which much can be said, hence their size and staying power.
The first of these is Troper Updates where you can post about events in your daily life. Conversation here tends to drift between a lot of topics and as such, it changes quite often. Similar to this is Post Your Random Thoughts, which is more or less exactly what the name implies. Somewhat harder to classify is The Trash Heap, it has its own little culture and in-jokes, but more than anything it's our true randomness thread. This is where your memes and such go.
In addition, we have some slightly more specific megathreads. Insecurity, Sadness, Anxiety, & Such Matters is a thread for when you're feeling blue. Your fellow tropers can help you out, or if that's not possible, just offer some words of encouragement. This thread's more recent twin is Happiness, Joy, Contentment & Such Matters, true to the name, it's a thread for posting things that've recently happened in your life to make you very happy.
Lastly, if you want to talk about anything sexual, please keep it to The Fetishes Thread as sex talk isn't allowed elsewhere.
Lastly, while the full Forum Rulebook can be found here, there are some basic courtesies you should exhibit while in Yack Fest in particular.
Serious discussion is not prohibited in Yack Fest, but it may often be more beneficial to discuss serious / controversial topics in On-Topic Conversations. Do not deliberately derail threads (that is, switch the topic of conversation) that are about a specific subject. Derailing is not prohibited here, but doing it deliberately is discouraged. Be polite to the other posters, if they say something offensive to you or insult you in any way, use the yellow button (called a Holler Button) above their post to inform the mods. You may also PM a mod directly. Lastly if you have any questions at all you may contact either myself or any other members of the staff.
Have a nice day. smile
edited 22nd Dec '11 2:58:04 PM by FastEddie
Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
|like a boss|
I don't really like this one, only because it reminds me of "Walmart Greeters" and for some reason, people tend to be annoyed by those.
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
Okay, I'm composing a PM on the spot, using this thread as a guide:
As you might know from the name, Writer's Block is TV Trope's hangout for fiction writers. Despite the name, this sub-forum can be used to ask questions, discuss writing craft, request or do critiques, post parts of your story—or as a procrastination tool. Your choice.
First of all, if you haven't already, introduce yourself in Writer's Block Daily. This thread is the sub-forum's main hub, where you can post updates concerning your writing, talk about writing, or go off on minor derails.
Ask short questions at Random Questions or the General Writer's Block thread.
Want a critique? Post part (or all) of your story in the Troper Critique Club. Want a beta reader? Enlist in Uncle Drunkie's Writer/Critic Dating Service.
If you want to take your character on a test drive, join the latest Character Development Thread. Just drop in, and state your intention to join in the discussion thread.
Finally, contests are held every few months. You write a short story centered around a theme, and a group of volunteer judges score the entries. Prize? Bragging rights.
Any other questions? Don't be afraid to ask. Again, welcome to Writer's Block. Keep on writing!
Untrustworthy
Two questions:
- How will the feature the lets the appointed person know about newbies work? It certainly doesn't seem reasonable to expect them to personally keep up to date with every thread in the subforum, so I doubt that's it, but I'd like to know.
- Is it possible to give us a list of people who have volunteered already? I'd kind of like to volunteer, but I don't really want to compete with others who may be more qualified than I, if they're interested.
|like a boss|
I volunteered for Yack Fest (and I think I got the position) and Chihuahua volunteered for Writer's Block.
go ahead and do every stupid thing you can imagine
Perpetually Confused
Forum Herald makes me imagine someone with a Tabard, a trumpet shouting "Hear Ye, Hear Ye! On this day of our lord 2011, Fast Eddie, King of TV Tropes and Emperor of its dominions, declared thee welcome to Trope Repair Shop..."
How notifier will work: When a person posts in a certain subforum, we'll check to see if they have posted there before. If they haven't, we'll send out the PM the GuideGreeterWelcomist for that subforum has on file for newbies and record that they have been welcomed.
The volunteer won't, now that I think about it, have to hunt down newbies at all.The job will be to draft the subforum's welcome letter and to be on hand to receive PMs from newbies.
edited 22nd Dec '11 3:31:37 PM by FastEddie
Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
We're going to appoint people in each of the subforums to welcome newbies in by an automated PM and show them how things work in the particular subforum.
The appointment thing is so that at least one person knows it is their job, and so the newbie doesn't get buried under a PM onslaught the first time they post.
We will give the appointee (now called Heralds) a spiffy icon badge so people will know they are on the job for everybody. There will also be access to a report that shows who is new in the subforum.
If you want to apply for the position, all you have to do is post a welcome draft here. That way, a moderator will consider you. If someone else has already applied for the position, don't worry! Multiple people can apply for one subforum.
This is a list
of the heralds that have already been appointed and the subforums that still need heralds.
Open sections with inactive heralds:
Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 7th 2024 at 8:33:43 AM
Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty