Thoughts on Introductions?

[Bill O]

What does everybody think of the introduction / hello threads that are often started in the general discussion area? Are they productive, do legitimate posters actually use them?

Personally, I find them fairly useless. If you want to post, just post. No need to come in doing cartwheels and leaving a one sentence "Hi everyone!" type post. On top of that, they are a gold mine for spammers. All new forum members need to have to their first post approved by a moderator. It's very easy to automatically enter these benign looking posts for easy approval, thus granting freedom to the rest of the forum.

[BAXTERCA2]

Hi Bill and others
I'm still relatively new to the forum but, I consider myself a legitimate poster. I'm not intending to anger or hurt anyone's feelings but, I also find the hello/introduction posts useless. There was also one the other day about some storm effecting flights, although it never did mention where that was or how it applied to this forum.

If you have a question or item to post about, then just post it. I think we can figure out who's new, especially since all users have a join date attached to them.

[Charlie]

your right Bill when i go to a new forum the first time i post it is not to say hello i say something or ask something
the people on the forum know you are new and will say hi to you when they reply to your post
do what you have to to stop spam ,i hate spam never had it wait wrong spam lol

[KSearl]

I definitely agree with you guys. I certainly don't think there is anything wrong with saying hello and introducing yourself in a new post though, but it would be nice if that post had some substance as well (question, info, TR, etc.). By giving a quick heads up that you're new at the beginning of the post, is helpful to me, since I still am fairly new here.

As I was reading this thread, I was starting to get worried, that I may have been one of those people who just initiated a "hello, I'm new here" thread...so searched back. This was my intro thread:

Hello,

New to the forum. My wife and I climbed the Mt. Willard Trail this past weekend and had a great time. We looked for the Hitchcock Flume Spur Trail which is published to be off the main trail near the summit. My wife and I looked for this spur for 30 minutes and just could not find it. Most everything I have read that references it is pretty old, at least 4 or 5 years old, including my AMC WM trail guide which is the 27th edition. I took a quick peek in the 28th edition at EMS and the Mt. Willard Trail section has no mention of the Hitchcock Flume Spur and the maps included omit this spur too. Does anyone have any information on this? Have they let it grow out so that it is no longer easily found? I can't find any info as to why AMC amended this in their latest edition. Any info would be appreciated as I left Willard feeling like I missed something that I shouldn't have.

At least I had something to add to the forum on my first thread...pheewww!!!
Karl

[Brad]

It is hard to know the right answer. I posted on MWO's fan Page on Facebook about the forums - come visit and join in. The short Hello message is kind of a Facebookish thing to do and these could be legitimate new members. I would rather assume it is real till it is obvious one way or another.

[Breeze]

I'm very grateful that we do not have anonymous postings here. I think it becomes pretty obvious PDQ if someone is here for nefarious purposes, and if they abuse the forum, they are locked out. I certainly appreciate the mods for their care and concern, and I thank you for what you do!
Breeze

[Snow Miser]

It is hard to know the right answer. I posted on MWO's fan Page on Facebook about the forums - come visit and join in. The short Hello message is kind of a Facebookish thing to do and these could be legitimate new members. I would rather assume it is real till it is obvious one way or another.

I agree with Brad, it is hard to answer. There has been a large number of new people on here the last few days. Are they being directed here from FB? Are they really here for a good purpose? I guess that's up to you Bill and the other moderators to determine. It is a shame if they are here just to spam.

[smithtim]

facestalker ( also know as facebook) has some real wierdos and I'm afraid of it


I totally agree with what Karl said above it should have some substance..... and hey I had to look back



OK so I've got moderate mountaineering experience but a newbee to this forum / mt. washington

I'm planning a solo day hike on Sunday March 15th as my first visit to Washington; I'm 31 in failry good shape, surf 3-4 times week, other workout 2times week....... My goal is Visitor Center off route 16 up to Lion's Head ( yeah I dream about the summit but I know that's dreaming for my first time on Washington and out of the question solo)

I have planned to usual gear ( Crampons, ice axe, 3 layers w/gortex, insulated water , overnight sleeping bag in case ....) but I was hoping you all could share a little advice on a few question:


#1 Food: what is the best recommended food to carry that won't freeze so quick and is easy to carry / eat...

#2 Is GPS needed for this route or is it sufficiently marked to where I'll be OK with map / compass
.






I thank you in advance for your help

Tim

p.s. is anybody else out there going up that day






And makes me :) as I did actually summit that first day on mt. wash......and thanks to some friendly people's advice from this forum I enjoined a nice peanut butter & honey bagel that did not freeze

[Bill O]

Don't worry, I'm not looking to go back into the past and out people for doing this.

Going forward, if people want to introduce themselves please add something to the content of the forum. A question, a comment, a story, but don't just say hi.

[h2oeco]

I agree with Bill's concerns - if you are new to the forums, just go ahead and say what you have to say. Feel free to include an introduction as part of your message, but please don't simply post things like "Hi, I'm new here. :)"

Thanks.

Ed

[mtruman]

I have mixed feelings about this. While I don't like getting spammed here I don't know that introduction posts are the biggest culprit for that. A spammer is certainly as likely to post some question or comment that is trying to create controversy. I think the typical intro posts are often from someone who has been reading the forum for a while and finally decides to become part of the community. I wasn't able to go back far enough to find my first post but I believe mine was something to that effect - "Hi, I've been reading the forum for a while and really appreciate the good info that is shared here. I'm, John Doe from Connecticut and I've been hiking in the White Mountains for the last few years. I'm interested in getting more information about suggested hikes and participating in the many interesting discussions here."

I'm sure that I said a bit more than just this, but it was still basically just an introduction. I then started participating in the other discussions that were going on. Isn't that the sort of thing that we'd expect someone to do if they were joining a group that meets in person? One of the things that I've always liked about these forums is that it is such a welcoming, helpful and friendly community. I hope that we're not trying to make it something other than that...

[Bill O]

Don't worry, we aren't looking to change the policy or make new rules against intros. I am more interested to know that I am not the only person who sees little value or community building in the brief one line intros.

[Bill O]

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. My names Jon and from the Uk. I'm planning a trip over to New Hampshire next spring and very pleased to have found this site. I'm looking at doing some great hikes and trails. Already found some great posts and photos.

For example, the above is a good intro. It's clear that it is a real person with a real interest in Mount Washington.

On the other hand...


I am a new member to the community and I just wanted to say hi to everyone. I am looking forward participating in the forums.

That is not a good intro. Maybe it's sincere, but it probably isn't. They have expressed no sign that it was written by an actual person, it told us nothing about the person, and added nothing but noise.

[Brad]

If it is "noise" and they never come back - so what? If they come back with more information, fine. If they SPAM, then it gets dealt with. Why do we need to assume one way or another?

[magdalena]

I think it serves its purpose. After all, if I entered a bar and wanted to have a chat with people I didn't know, I would eventually have to introduce myself.

[Bill O]

Just a heads up. A "hi" type introduction as a first post / new thread with no tie-in to anything remotely connected to Mount Washington will be deleted as spam.

As always, any new forum members can chime into any thread without an introduction (all first posts will be moderated). They are also welcome to start an introduction thread, but it should have some relevance.

[joshcooper]

Needless to say, I am NEW here. It took awhile to actually get the approval. I have no intentions to spam, I take regular trips around the US and plan on going to NH soon. Science, weather, water, and all nature/natural things are interesting to me. Just trying to learn some new things and maybe meet some good people. If I am in the wrong place, my apologies, If I am in the right place, thanks for having me!!

[Snow Miser]

Welcome joshcooper! There are a lot of friendly, knowledgeable folks here on these boards, so you're in the right place to chat about hiking, weather, etc. Hope you can make it to NH and enjoy some of its natural beauty.