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
(she/her)
I can see how can be a little annoying but eh I think most people find it more helpful than not to me.
In my short time as a herald for this subforum, when I did get a PM back it was from thanking me for giving the rundown on what Wiki Talk is for.
Macron's notes
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Same, pretty much everyone who's responded (after the initial boom of PMs where even long-time forum posters were getting them and responding with confusion) has been really nice about it.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Same. Occasionally I get a follow-up asking for advice, but everyone has always been pleasant.
Well after you explained what heralds are, I tried to read the messages sent, but they were very wall of texty. Can I just get a tl:dr of them?
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Not particularly, everything in the notifier is important and I made it as concise as I honestly could. None of us made them overly long just for the giggles- we're trying to be as clear as we can be.
Edited by WarJay77 on May 31st 2020 at 11:35:23 AM
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Most people don't respond to herald messages, these who do usually send me some flavour of "thanks" or ask a question.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Any update on the badges? I'm not in a rush, but it has been almost a year.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
This probably is not my place to comment here since I'm not a herald myself but, I recall the badge system having been defunct for quite a long time now. The reason is because of the low sales of general badges, and I highly doubt they'll come back (even the staff badges).
(she/her)
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
oh that’s for badges we used to buy with a currency called tropies.
Herald badges along with moderator and cleaner badges are given to you by moderators but it seems they have been glitching for a while now
Macron's notes
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
I know badges aren't completely defunct because I have one I could be using now for the Ad-Free Subscription thing.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Lost in Space
Existing badges can be selected and managed. There is no way to get more at the moment, other than having an admin manually assign them to you.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Ah well, at least now I know how we'd have to get the badges.
Like I said, it's absolutely not a rush, I just think it'd be a cool little thing to have if/when it finally appears.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
(she/her)
So since Get English Help Here has been moved from Wiki Talk to FAQ, does that mean I have to edit my message to reflect that right?
Macron's notes
Frankly, I don't know if the message can be changed other than by admin action.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
They can be, nombretomado has edited them before.
At least, that's what it sounds like here.
The link to the Forum Rules in the World Building message just goes to the "don't advertise stuff" post, not the main post or one specific to World Building, so I found it a bit confusing.
You need to post the text of the entire message for us to edit the welcome PM.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer
It's Betsyandthefiveavengers' PM.
Are you a budding author of a novel, collection of short stories, RPG, screenplay, graphic novel, fan-fic, or web comic, and the one thing keeping you up at night—beyond boat loads of caffeine and doubts about your writing skill—are the little, intricate details about the rate of which a class of elves age, the way systems of election in your fictional nation-state are conducted, or the plausibility of a lion and a fox going on a successful blind date in an anthropomorphic universe? If so, then you’ve stepped into the right place.
The World Building sub-forum is designed to help people with, well, world-building. Anything from topics on alien, fairy, and dragon races, to cartography, to believable systems of government can be discussed here. If you have any questions about the nitty-gritty of your story, feel free to post them here. At first blush, the forum may seem to be a little heavy on the Speculative Fiction end of things, but don't be discouraged, Authors of Other Genres. Make a thread about your story or questions; someone will answer you. However, be sure to lend a helping hand to your fellow writers in need. Contributing to conversations helps.
Unlike Writer’s Block, the sister sub-forum, World Building threads are generally incredibly specific, question-and-answer. Outlines, timelines, conceptual paragraphs, and other contextual story notes are tolerated (and sometimes encouraged), but posting work for the purposes of looking for critique or Alpha/Beta readers is done in Writer’s Block, along with general writing and creative tips. For those who are more artistically inclined, check out the Visual Arts or Webcomics forums.
Of course, make sure to check out The Forum Rules before you jump in. We encourage you to be your honest, opinionated self, but when doing so, be polite and respectful of everyone else. Don’t hesitate to call in a mod when someone isn’t extending the same courtesy to you.
That said, go forth and contribute! If you have any other comments or concerns, feel free to PM me.
How fleeting...
Is there a reason that I'm listed as the Herald for Wiki Talk? I went to check my PM's and, for whatever reason, I have outgoing Herald messages for that subforum. I'm also listed as the Herald on the actual page for some odd reason. Is this an error? If so, can this please be fixed?
I do have screenshots on the off chance that this is due to a bug. If I need to send them somewhere, please let me know.
Edited by Explosivo25 on Oct 8th 2020 at 12:32:05 PM
I don’t even know anymore.
(she/her)
Yeah I am the herald for wiki talk and just checked and I noticed I wasn’t listed anymore
Macron's notesNo clue how that happened. Macron, you need to post the updated text of the welcome PM and I will edit you back in - I understand you wanted to make some changes.
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - Fighteer
(she/her)
Alright here it is. I moved the Get Help with English out of the sticky thread list to the see also list since it’s no longer on wiki talk.
- Wiki Talk FAQ: A directory for all frequently asked questions and guide to where certain topics go.
- TLP work station: This is the thread where you can get help with your TLP drafts.
- Media Namespaces - a battery of questions: This is where you can inquire about what namespace a particular work might fit in, what each namespace encompasses, and other related questions.
- Changelog - what just changed on TV Tropes?! A thread for the various site updates and changes. Also where you can report any bugs associated with them.
- Video Uploading is now open: This is where all questions related to the new video uploading feature go.
Now that we have gotten the important sticky threads out of the way, here is a list of places other than Wiki Talk that are better suited for certain inquiries:
- If you want to report a bug, go to this query for reports and if you have a suggestion you would like to see on the wiki, go to the wishlist query.
- For general questions concerning a trope, go to trope talk. To address major issues with a trope or to propose big changes, go to the Trope Repair Shop.To discuss page images, go to Image Pickin.
- If you want to report issues happening wiki-side or want to ask general wiki questions, go to Ask The Tropers.
- If you want to help out in one of our many wiki clean up projects, go to Projects: Long Term/Perpetual and Short Term Projects.
- To report or discuss pages that might violate our Content Policy, go to Content Violations Discussions.
- To get help with English and grammar go to Get Help with English thread in the FAQS section
After reading this PM, I hope you have a better understanding of what Wiki Talk is for. If you have further questions, feel free to ask me or one of the mods. Have fun Troping!
Probably my own FAQ forum PM needs updating for the same reason, but I admit I am not sure where to do this.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Huh, that's new. I understand that the initial PM's sent when a new herald is added is a bit annoying, but...yeah, huh. Gave a response and hopefully that'll help to resolve things out.