Has Welcome/Join lost its way?
on: 23/08/2016 | 14:11
the misplacing of help posts can be tackled by providing sympathetic answers which urge the enquirer to resubmit his/her request in the right forum.
I used to do that, but I've started to see the results as being confusing and counterproductive.
First, because however tactfully we express the request to use the right forum, we're not aware that at the same time there may be three other people posting a similar request -- and if all those requests appear within a couple of minutes, then it starts to appear as if the person is being "jumped on" for a relatively minor error.
Second, because if we do ask the person to post elsewhere, there will almost certainly be others who answer the question where it presently is, as well as those who answer the second posting in its new place. And then, there will probably be others who will be perceived as complaining that the user has posted the same problem in two places (when probably, all they're trying to do is to ensure the poster sees both sets of answers).
So my reckoning is that at present, its probably best to answer the question where it stands -- therefore keeping only one copy of the question, so all answers will stay together, and to use the report button on the question so that the eds can move (and its answers) it if they agree there is a better place.for it.
Even if three people report the message is in the wrong place, it will be one ed that deals with it, it will be done in a consistent and helpful manner which will not be misunderstood as multiple public admonishments.
on: 23/08/2016 | 16:47
When I first took them a long time ago I learned a great deal about how to best reply to people, but it seems that helpful replies in welcome and join really don't get posted very often
on: 23/08/2016 | 17:11
Yes, to a degree, I am with you on this one. Too many posts are arriving on the forum which have very ltiitle do with welcome or join. Post which would be better in GD perhaps or contribute or, quite often in Help and Support. It is not as if it is all newbies who are loading those posrs, it is quite often fairly long serving members too.
So yes, I do agree @endorphin
Jim
on: 23/08/2016 | 19:07
Perhaps we should report these telling off posts?
on: 23/08/2016 | 20:32 - edited: 23/08/2016 | 20:36
" Welcome & Join "
Is there really that much wrong with the forum as it stands ......
Yes .... there are some misplaced posts , Yes .... there are some " out of place " comments , but that can be said of ANY of the forums at any given time ....... where there are numerous available options sometimes someone will choose the wrong one , since I've been with the network and been joining in with some of the community activity at some time or other I think I've seen ALL sections go a little off course , it happens .... and then things settle down and all is good ,
And Yes ....... there are quite a lot of " Welcoming " posts ( I'm guilty of making quite a few myself , and I thought they had been well recieved ) , But .... is that so wrong ? after all isn't " Welcome & Join " intended to be the place where people are made to feel welcome ! ,
The forum has ( for a long time ) been bubbling happily away as a medium for newcomers to introduce themselves and for existing members to greet them with a warm welcome ...... and it works .
on: 24/08/2016 | 18:42
The "mission statement" for W&J is
"This is the place where you can introduce yourself, ask our existing members what giffgaff is really like, or just share your impressions about giffgaff"
as such to my mind roughly half the threads don't meet this. As mentioned previously t_will is looking to amend its mission statement to better define the raison d'être for W&J. Until then we can only discuss what we would like it to be.
on: 24/08/2016 | 19:41 - edited: 24/08/2016 | 19:42
With respect , and no offence intended .....
If ... that " Mission Statement " were taken literally there would be very little if any interaction and there most certainly wouldn't be much of a welcoming atmosphere ......
I've always thought that it's more productive ( and constructive ) to praise ( encourage ) activity / participation for it's good points ( and results ) rather than taking things to literally and picking them apart just because they arn't " perfect " .... nothing is ( perfect ) but if the imperfections don't spoil then end result does it really matter ,
There have been many " Mission Statements " ( not necessarily from giffgaff ) that have ( quite often ) turned into Mission Impossible ..... 
on: 25/08/2016 | 17:52 - edited: 25/08/2016 | 17:57
Hmm, the mission statement doesn't preclude interaction "ask our existing members what giffgaff is really like" and forums by intent/design are interactive.
As I see it W&J should, with the current description of the forum, only contain threads started by propective members asking questions about giffgaff and it's services and/or introducing themselves or review threads started by existing members. That's just my view and of course should giffgaff decide to give the forum another purpose then we can go with that. I believe t_will is chasing this.
There's no reason why it still can't be warm and fluffy and there's no reasons why established giffgaff members can't chip in in fact it's imperative that they do.
on: 25/08/2016 | 20:48 - edited: 25/08/2016 | 20:49
t_will wrote:
Now, aside from that, looking at the threads in there, it does seem that a lot of threads are a quick hello - really friendly, but maybe not too useful. I'd love to see more people getting involved with a view to showing people around the community and acting as guides - either by posting useful threads for newbies on how to find Help or GD or get involved in Contribute etc, but alsoreplying to them and making sure their welcome has a little substance too.
Just a quick suggestion, the quick hello threads should really be in this thread, but I notice that it's rapidly approaching 12,000 posts. It might be worth closing that thread, and starting a new one. This is something that I've seen happen in O2's community, and it's the sort of tidy up that a forum needs occaisonally.
That's just me thinking out loud