Spam

[Catherineanne]

Spam is spam, whatever it contains. And angel spam is not nice to see.

Can I make a request that anyone going to welcome newcomers not post a standard 'if you have any questions just PM me' without reading the newbie's post first?

It does not look good to see a newbie ask a question, and then the next post says 'if you have any questions ...' when they have just asked something, and their question remains unanswered.

This may seem very presumptuous of me, and I know we want to welcome people, but not with cut and paste posts which ignore the person they are addressing.

The purpose of being here, I assume, is not to spam the board with 'welcome and ask me anything you want', but to give a sincere welcome, even if only to one person.

[EternallyPierced]

Spam is spam, whatever it contains. And angel spam is not nice to see.

Can I make a request that anyone going to welcome newcomers not post a standard 'if you have any questions just PM me' without reading the newbie's post first?

It does not look good to see a newbie ask a question, and then the next post says 'if you have any questions ...' when they have just asked something, and their question remains unanswered.

This may seem very presumptuous of me, and I know we want to welcome people, but not with cut and paste posts which ignore the person they are addressing.

The purpose of being here, I assume, is not to spam the board with 'welcome and ask me anything you want', but to give a sincere welcome, even if only to one person.

I agree completely. I have seen many people ask serious questions or say serious things and are just responded to with an image or a copy and pasted response.

"Quality not quantity" :D

[RenFaireSprite]

"Angel Spam" - well, that just sounds ugly...

Please - I would suggest that if any of you see anything posted by an Angel that is not in alignment with our code of conduct or responsibilities, please contact Gwenyfur or Saucy right away so they can reach out to the Angel volunteer and help them out. We've got quite a few new Angels now, and it takes a bit of time to learn everything - I don't want anyone to get discouraged. We're all different, and we will have our own style of doing things, and we're all well-intentioned or we wouldn't have chosen this avenue to minister to other members, right?

We've been short-staffed for a while, so while quality is certainly important, the number of new members we touch base with has also been important (and there are so many every day). Personally, I am a big fan of creating a post that is warm and friendly with helpful information and using it repeatedly, and editing it for individual posts as appropriate. I always follow up a thread post with a guestbook entry as well as a PM of welcome with blessings. The initial contact is key - if the new member or member in need perceives you as warm and genuine, they will reach back to you. (A lot of my time is spent in follow up.)

Thanks for bringing this up - it is a good reminder to all of us to take the time to read posts and respond appropriately (and Gwenyfur has sent this reminder out as well). I enjoy the Angel graphics, and I'm sure the members we contact appreciate them, but the added personal note or link to a helpful area of the forum is going to help direct them toward what they need or are looking for, and help them feel welcome here.

[Gwenyfur]

Yup, we've addressed this many times since the Angel's inception...it's an ongoing thing...

please, if they're asking questions or seeking guidance, give 'em an answer that's appropriate :) Below that you can post the pretty fluffy stuffs ;)

Thanks Catherineanne...for bringing this up again...I sometimes forget the monthly reminder :)

[Catherineanne]

Thanks Catherineanne...for bringing this up again...I sometimes forget the monthly reminder :)

Thank you all for being so understanding of my presumption. :o

:wave:

[Gwenyfur]

Thank you all for being so understanding of my presumption. :o

:wave:
:hug:

[Angeldove97]

Tip for the Angels (from an Angel :D):
I do use a "form" letter to those who I post in the New Member Intros forum. But it does include good information that every newbie needs to know---links, fun places to hang out, Bible verse or two thrown in there as well.

I also will include a P.S. to their post in case they do have a question or I want to include a comment on their post. So we all should be reading the first post to see if we do have any valuable comments for the person.

We're here for the members... not for increasing our post count :)

[""]

Always read the OP. When you read what they have to say then you won't have to worry about anything else. :)

Most problems can be solved by reading what was said, before responding to it. ;)

Remember, quality is greater than quantity. Anybody can post "hi! welcome!" 1000 times, but it takes a special person to inquire about a person(s) needs, and to reach out, in hopes of meeting some of them. When I first created the angels here, I made sure that each one understood the importance of reaching out, making a connection, etc. It's about more than having the most "hi's". Over the last 4+ months, this is something that has been increasingly been reported as a problem. It's easy to fix. :hug: