Ohhh MODERATORRRRSSSS...

[CrystalLight]

Other forums are not as "personal" as this one. Using the metal board example it is not a big deal that I am "outing" myself as enjoying that music. But to "out" yourself on a fetish website is a lot more personal and deserving of something more than a forum just to "say hello and come out".

Which further cements my point of the request.

If a METAL forum can have one and a whole bunch of rockers can introduce themselves and talk about how much they like MegaDeth or somethin'..

Then the new user's or potential de-lurker's could use the Introduce yourself forum (or whatever name it would have) as an outlet to introduce themselves..and give their own little bit of history as far as the fetish goes..

Just as Ven said.. In a few post's on TK or GD it would just get eaten anyways...

Why not give them their own personal section?

And regardless of "personal greeters" being online..there are going to be at least 1,000 other people available and I know many of them are normally really cool about greeting new folks.

 

[venray]

And..perhaps the reason so few de-lurkers are seen each week is because they are posted in gen or TK dis where they fade too quickly for anyone to notice..

 

[RobAce]

Just as Ven said.. In a few post's on TK or GD it would just get eaten anyways...

I really do not see them being eaten up.
I can still see them, and again there are maybe 3 to 4 posts like that a week, and thats on a good week. I can remember weeks where no one de-lurked.

I still think that putting those posts in their own place will lessen the amount of people seeing new members, except for those who make it a point to do it.

I do not think my analogy cements any point. It only shows that if it is something not personal introducing yourself to the masses is not a big deal and if no one sees it, no biggie. But to me and perhaps others, coming out in the community should not be delegated to a place where the only people that would see it would be those specifically geared to enter that forum.

I for one already visit enough sub-forums. I was also at first against the celebration sub-forum and boycotted it for a while. But now it is in my rotation of viewing. But adding yet another forum to what seems to be a crowded Gen Dis area. Even adding a sticky here would be a bit much.
Perhaps adding a sticky to the Celebration or renaming the Celebrations sub-forum again I would suggest are best.

But again my opinion is that we have branched off a lot, and does 3 to 5 posts a week (and sometimes zero) really need a sub forum.

Rob

 

[venray]

And my point is that there actually might be more than that if people had a place to put them.....


So we agree to disagree...there are many sides to an issue such as this one...

 

[CrystalLight]

I agree that adding another sub-forum to Gen Dis would clutter things.

But if an open sub-forum was added UNDERNEATH the rules and before Gen Dis and TK Dis Link..would make it more accessible for whomever.

And..I understand that we haven't really SEEN many Greetings threads..but we've also admitted that we don't much directly look for them.

I just think it would be a nice thing to add to the forum, and encourage other's that we are very much a community and support the individual 'kinks' of each other.


It's a "Flame-Free Forum"..Why not something that just encourages that philosophy and in turn giving folk's a place to welcome new user's without having to search for them at times?

 

[RobAce]

I don't know.

I mean perhaps it could lead more people to posting an introduction, or it could be the same old, same old.
I mean there are weeks I see more celebrity passing threads than introductions.

I still think in my opinion to changing the Celebrations forum to a combination forum for celebrations and introductions. Then a lot of people would see it because of the numbers going to the celebration forum, and introducing yourself is kind of a celebration in a way.

Perhaps that I think is the best compromise if the Mods to want to do something.

Rob

 

[CrystalLight]

I still think in my opinion to changing the Celebrations forum to a combination forum for celebrations and introductions. Then a lot of people would see it because of the numbers going to the celebration forum, and introducing yourself is kind of a celebration in a way.

Which is a good idea..

But..

It would require more effort in perusing the forum whereas having one on the main board would be easier to see and access..

Ahh well.

Just figured it would be a way to make the new comer's have a little corner to do meet and greets and encourage other's to do the same..etc.

 

[RobAce]

It would require more effort in perusing the forum whereas having one on the main board would be easier to see and access..

Which should be the goal to get new members to peruse the entire forum and get to know all the areas that they can post at.

Going to Gen Dis, and seeing the place to post it I do not think would require too much work on anyones part. The more places they venture, the more likely they would find their "niche" and contribute more, post more and let us get to know them more.

Rob

 

[CrystalLight]

Going to Gen Dis, and seeing the place to post it I do not think would require too much work on anyones part. The more places they venture, the more likely they would find their "niche" and contribute more, post more and let us get to know them more.

And.. if there was a forum dedicated to them in itself.. they would post their welcome and realize how open the forum is to new user's thus causing them to take a possible more avid interest in the other areas.

 

[RobAce]

To give them their own place kind of shows we want to delegate where they can say hi, instead of leaving it to them to post where they feel more comfortable.

I think there is not much more I can add in.

My thoughts are out there, and I will leave it to the Mods to decide what to do.

Interesting thoughts in this thread though. Ill be waiting to see what the Mods think.

Rob

 

[dalekfire]

Mmm...I think I see a major difference between the two parties, here...not to generalize or anything, just making an observation.

Ask yourself this, everyone: Are you considering this idea from a potential new de-lurker/new member's standpoint, or from the standpoint of a veteran member with a set routine of what forums to look at? I agree with the fact that it might be more of an inconvenience for the other members to consciously enter a subforum just to check for introduction threads. But what about the new members/de-lurkers? What's more of an inconvenience for them?

I totally agree with Venray's point in that introductory threads probably don't get the attention they deserved when poked into a slush-pile of "far more interesting" tickling-related threads or general whatevers...not only in that they might get pushed back a few pages, but also in that they're surrounded by other threads of other themes, of which many probably look more "appetizing" to browsing members. And that's just it. When members enter TD and GD, they're generally looking for just that...tickling or general-related topics. The member intros have a higher chance of being passed over in favor of, say, "Hey! Look at this cool new ticklish idea my boyfriend tested on my poor little ticklish feetsies!" or "Hey! Wanna see a huge group of people having a hypnotic orgy with wooden chairs?"

However, if these intro topics were to have a forum of their own (I like your idea of placing it under the rules forum, Crystal...I place mine there, as well. =D), potential first-time posters may feel 1) that they will comfortably know where to post the intro they want, 2) they may feel that their topic will get more of a chance to be seen and replied to, supported by a whole forum full of similar topics, which will of course help with the nervousness issue, and 3) they may feel that the TMF community cares about individuals and values its members, new or veteran...not saying that we aren't like that already, but it's the feeling that matters. Would you argue that there wouldn't be a point at having a welcome mat at a front door when the inhabitants already know that newcomers will be welcomed, anyway?

I think of the Member Introductions forum as a sort of an entrance hall...or a lobby, if you will. Think of NEST, those of you who went. From the stories I've heard, many of the nervous first-timers first started to loosen up and experience the feeling of meeting cool new people in the lobby...and not at the NEST events, itself. The lobby wouldn't have had a "tickling" ambiance or even a "general whatever" feeling to it...I bet it mainly had a "Hey, how are you? I'm so-and-so. It's a pleasure to meet you! " sort of feeling to it.

Maybe a Member Introduction forum would be the TMF's lobby, of sorts? Perhaps it's a nice, warm fuzzy welcome mat for newcomers to feel much more comfortable slipping their shoes off next to and stepping in to greet the many bouncing green faces in this wonderful forum? =)

Perhaps a visual demonstration.

An intro topic in TD or GD:

hay cool now im'ma go check out tickling stuffs see ya around

An intro topic in its own specialized welcome forum:

: Heya! ^_^ It's great to see you here, so-and-so! Please, make yourself at home!

Result? The difference between a new member possibly being like as opposed to being like

So yeah. ^_^ Gosh, I'm in a ranting mood today... xD


EDIT: If I may, I'd like to volunteer my first message board...been dead and deserted for a while, so yeah. I separated the intro board from the others, and...I very much liked the effect. So did the other members. It's a big hit...and it works well, too. =) Here it is: The Fiction Fortress. What do you think? Not too bad of an idea...

 

[RobAce]

Ok perhaps one more thing....

To be 100% honest....

a female introducing themselves gets a lot more attention than a male introducing themselves, no matter where the thread is posted.

Everyone is going to have their own opinions, including new members on where they should post. Some would like a new members forum, others like it the way it is. To me its not so much a matter of convenience, its more a matter of practicality. I like being able to see the new members and their ways of introducing themselves in the various forums instead of one place. Where as one is actually more convenient to see all in the same area, the other is easier to see it among rest of the members.

Again I think everyone has a good opinion on this subject and I think the Mods will take everyones thoughts into consideration.

Rob

 

[-Hari-]

i'l tell you what...... Nope.... Its no good, every point imaginable has been made i think, all points good one's, but i hope the decision is made based on the best interests of the new member rather than where we want to see them. After all it's them who would benefit from it not us, i don't mind if i have to go to a seperate forum or not to see they're hello's etc.. But it may make the place look even more welcoming than it already is if they did have they're own little land. Cause it's not obvious how welcoming we are without lurking abit first and not everyone does that. Shit, this was supposed to be a short and probably pointless post, meh, i'm out,

 

[unclebill]

I really think that newbie posters are not always newbie members. Most lurkers who post for the first time have been members for years.
Directing first-time posters to a sub-forum to introduce themselves seperates them from the "established posters." Why on earth would people here want to make a first post less important than a second or third. This idea is stupid.



For goodness sake...you don't give lurkers enough credit, Crystal. Anyone who has been checking this sight out for a while knows where things go. Perhaps you should have your own subforum for suggestions. Posting for the first time does not always make you a newbie.

Great post.

 

[Marquis De Sade]

Speaking from a newbie's standpoint *points at the annoying "NOVICE" below my name* I think it's a pretty cool idea.

I joined and just started posting stuff knowing that replies at first would of course be and few between because I'm new. In fact, I've even felt like a Thread Killer a few times.

But eventually I know I'll get to know everyone here and vice versa and so more people will start talking. But that's just me and that's how I operate when I'm not in front of a computer screen. I just talk to people who seem cool because, why the hell not? A lot of other newbies here though probably do just what Biscuit said - post once, don't get a reply and slink off somewhere never to be seen again which is kinda sad in more than a few ways.

So a little place where some intros can be made makes sense. Unless it's too much of a hassle to set up.

Then again, I also think a lot of people sign up with no intention of ever striking up conversation or making friends and simply view the pics and stories and whatever else they can.

 

[-Hari-]

As a longtime member and a somewhat infrequent poster.

I can tell you that the first thing I always do when getting on the forum, without fail, is to quickly scroll down through the list of main topics to see which have new posts since I was on last.

Even if the individual post itself doesn't exactly have an eye-grabbing byline, I will almost always pop into that section just to see how much activity there's been. I have a feeling that many of those who browse and post regularly have a similar routine.

I've seen introduction sections on many other forums, and they often seem to get a lot of traffic, and a lot of posts. I think that TightBlonde and VenRayMond (as well as TardisFire) have made a good case for the reasoning behind giving new posters a 'welcoming' feel. This will encourage them to interact. How many times do you see a new poster post, get a couple replies, then never post again?. I think that many regulars would probably make an introduction forum a regular stop in their routine, and would probably at least post a quick hello, making these new folks feel as though, instead of a daunting sea of text, they are being greeted by people.

Let me say clearly, though, that I'm quite certain that if such a section were buried as a subforum of general or elsewhere, it would likely see very little traffic and posting. Yes, there are people like Crystal'sTight, Milligram, VenRaymond, ToBlue, etc who are everywhere on the board and would undoubtedly dig up these posts wherever they appear, but they are in the MINORITY.

Look, most people are lazy, and only do the minimum number of clicks required to get where they're going. This is an unfortunate fact, and is especially true when they are, after all, on a board that is sheer recreation for them. If a forum is visible at the top of the main page, it'll likely see traffic from people who, like me, tend to check out new activity. Which means a LOT more posts for these new folks, and feeling of being wecomed rather than ignored. I support this fully, but ONLY if it's accessible from the main page.

thats a fair perspective duuude, always good to have the divine word on the subject.

 

[venray]

We will be discussing this on the show tonight...use the main link do not go to chat as it isnt working...

 

[njjen3953]

I personally love the idea of having a welcoming forum. This would be a great way to dispel the rumor that TMF and specifically Nest is made up of a bunch of cliquish snobs. Also, by adding threads to this forum like the rules and educational threads, IE, Aftercare and subspace/drop, etc. it would really be welcoming to newcomers.

Today, someone who joined just this month, pulled up the , once again lost, Aftercare thread and posted that they had never heard the term.

What an incredible way for new people to learn without having to go digging.

Something to think about.

Jen

 

[Artoo]

I think that one of the main points of contention regarding an introduction forum would be that new members would just stay there and post on the introduction forum. To be honest, I don't see why that would be the case.

On the UKTF, people post on the intro forum things like who they are, what they'd like to get out of the community. At which point, people welcome them, encourage them, and before long, many of them post in the other forums.

Oh, and just because someone is a girl, it does not necessarily mean they get more replies. Though I'm willing to admit that it is likely to happen

 

[Stevereeno]

The TMF is cliquish and made up of snobs. People here have been rejected in society, so they gotta defend against the negative voices some way and strength in numbers seems to help. It's what gives this website meaning, but even cliques and snobs still take time out of their narrow mindedness to say hi and welcome new people to the forum. It's the only way to get other people to join their group; otherwise, the group would die out.

A recruiting lounge for cliques (or section for newbies in need of guidance), or even a place where internet bullies want to go to start flame wars seems like an idea... an idea the mods would really love.
If the newbies can have their own section on here, why can't the NEST bashers?? The NEST bashers are a clique of snobs that need to have their feelings attended to without any of the NEST cliques stomping all over them with their experiences of being touched by another human being for the first time.

 

[venray]

Wow Steve...Dont know what forums you have been posting on recently..rejected from society? I am sorry if that is where you are coming from, but it isnt true of the many I have met here...If you dont take the time to get to know people, you would not know that though......

If you want a place set up to bash others or join cliques you wont find it here...I suggest you look into starting your own forum or return to the day of the newsgroups....

If you dont like to welcome new people that is fine...if you dont like people ranting or venting...ignore them...(though it sems you are doing the same here)..

Attack someone (like people who are fond of gatherings) and you must expect that they will defend themselves.....

Friendships form....not cliques in my opinion...people who share things (pics stories, interests) are the ones who form these friendships....I have seen no particular group or "clique" shun others from joining in and participating unless those others are always "raining on their parade" and whining about the things they are discussing....

Ask around...talk to some of the newer posters on this forum..ask them if I or others who have been here for a while ignore them when they ask a question or pm us...find out how many of us comunicate and interact behind the scenes as well as here in the open before you condemn us....

Many people who have been around a while do not want to interact and they dont have to.....many of them are afraid of change and want to see nothing new...."It should stay the way it always has been...no need for changes"...

That doesnt happen in an ever growing commumity....change is inevitible...you embrace it and grow or you watch opportunities for making new friends pass you by..the choice is up to each individual as to how he or she participates....or does not....

Much ro the dismay of some, we are not just a group of people with a fetish whacking off to content...

Many of us enjoy interacting with others and actually making friends with those who accept us for who we are...

If you do not want to be like that you do not have to...we choose to participate in the way in which we are comfortable doing so...

But dont put others down because they choose to make more of this forum than you do.....and attacking other members by screen name here within your post does nothing to back your arguments...it merely shows what type of member YOU have chosen to be...

 

[-Hari-]

The TMF is cliquish and made up of snobs. People here have been rejected in society, so they gotta defend against the negative voices some way and strength in numbers seems to help. It's what gives this website meaning, but even cliques and snobs still take time out of their narrow mindedness to say hi and welcome new people to the forum. It's the only way to get other people to join their group; otherwise, the group would die out.

A recruiting lounge for cliques (or section for newbies in need of guidance), or even a place where internet bullies want to go to start flame wars seems like an idea... an idea the mods would really love.

If the newbies can have their own section on here, why can't the NEST bashers?? The NEST bashers are a clique of snobs that need to have their feelings attended to without any of the NEST cliques stomping all over them with their experiences of being touched by another human being for the first time.

What a possitive and helpful reply that was..... im sure its going to go down really well with everyone and is SO helpful for the topic of disscussion....

 

[Artoo]

The TMF is cliquish and made up of snobs.

Strike 1. I know of many non-snobby people here who are not in any clique.

People here have been rejected in society, so they gotta defend against the negative voices some way and strength in numbers seems to help.

Strike 2. Rejected in society? I'll thank you not for making assumptions about my apparent social flaws. Please don't transfer your own experiences onto the rest of us.

A recruiting lounge for cliques (or section for newbies in need of guidance), or even a place where internet bullies want to go to start flame wars seems like an idea... an idea the mods would really love.

Care to explain? You've lost me here. Why are they such great ideas? And why would the mods love them?

If the newbies can have their own section on here, why can't the NEST bashers?? The NEST bashers are a clique of snobs that need to have their feelings attended to without any of the NEST cliques stomping all over them with their experiences of being touched by another human being for the first time.

I don't think the point was that the "newbies" would have their own thread, where they can post whatever they want to. It was so that introductions could be made, and allow people who might be nervous about posting to...well, not be nervous

And NEST bashers? Seriously? Is there a collective of people that hate that gathering? Can I join? Do I need to pass some sort of initiation?

 

[drew70]

I personally love the idea of having a welcoming forum. This would be a great way to dispel the rumor that TMF and specifically Nest is made up of a bunch of cliquish snobs.

Jen, I agree that such rumors need to be quashed, as I too believe they are untrue. But I'm convinced that herding the noobies into their own little area will perpetuate that rumor rather than dispel it.

I think that any time we start segregating people like this its the first step to a heirarchical cast society. "Noobies? You gotta post your intro here. TMF experts? Here's your subforum. Red Feathers? Right this way. Yellow, Blue, and Green feathers? Down the hall and to the right."

It's bad enough that the system is set up so that we all wear our post count, as if that actually makes any of us more significant than anyone else. I know that only a small few take such things seriously, but I've heard accounts of people leaving the forum because they are intimidated by the high post count.

Creating a special place for them would in my opinion serve to amplify this perception rather than minimize it.

 

[Marquis De Sade]

I feel like I'm in high school.