[Rhodes22-list] New Member Introduction

[Bill Effros]

Bud,

I'm open to anything except passing on new duties to people who already 
do more than most--like Ed and Michael.

People are so anxious to skip over what Michael sends that they entirely 
miss the fundamentals--witness "Get me off this list!"

My new member thought was that while new people may not know anything 
about sailing or Rhodes 22s, they do know how they got here, and they 
know that people helped them learn our version of proper etiquette (Ed, 
pardon my French).  They can join in by helping those even newer than 
themselves.

Starting with Ed's message, I thought new people could either just pass 
it along, or modify it, or learn how to link archival answers, or learn 
how to search archives, or...

I know that others will naturally jump in, but I've noticed that some 
people are warmly welcomed, while others can be completely 
unacknowledged due solely to circumstances beyond everyone's control.  I 
thought that by giving new members responsibilities that they knew they 
could perform, or could learn from the list if they don't know how to do 
these things, and could pass on to even newer members...

I know you get the idea.  Will you volunteer as new member "mentor" for 
a set period of time with the responsibility to pass off that 
responsibility?  It has been my experience that every time we try to get 
the general list to assume responsibilities, it always devolves down to 
"Let's let Ed and Michael do it."

I've been on the list for 7 or 8 years now, and every time we try to 
share the responsibilities it always winds up that either one individual 
takes the bull by the horns and does all the work (Tom Evans -- FAQ) or 
we talk it to death with everyone suggesting that somebody else should 
do the work.

Chance are that it will happen again, but I keep trying...

Bill Effros





Bud Connor wrote:

> Bill,
>  I like most of the suggestions, except for making each new member 
> responsible for showing others
> where to find things, and how we operate.  I think "most" of that 
> information could be put into the
> standard message that Michael sends out when someone joins the list.  
> I think we should pass around
> responsibility for keeping that intro message up to date, like adding 
> the info on the frappr tool.
> Also, I think we should have one designated "mentor" who is 
> responsible for answering the
> general neophyte questions, this could be a role that we could pass 
> around every six months.
> Michael could setup the email address:  oracle at rhodes22.org  and have 
> all mail forwarded to
> someone on the list, such as Ed for the next six months.
>
> -Bud Connor
>
>
>
> Bill Effros wrote:
>
>> Joe,
>>
>> Nice intro. For most people it's a hard thing to do, since you can't 
>> know how the group operates until after you have entered.
>>
>> We are working on a stock reply, since all of the successful groups 
>> are a bit different from what people who have never before been a 
>> member of such a group expect when they enter.
>>
>> Ed, who does a lot of work trying to keep this list orderly, sent you 
>> the link to the basis for a stock reply. At the same time he pushed 
>> you into the archives, and tried to encourage you to explore them 
>> before asking a question that has been asked and answered hundreds of 
>> times before. My favorite is "Why do you love your boat?"
>>
>> Sometimes newer people want to jump in on this question. Sometimes 
>> the person asking the question only gets snide comments. There is no 
>> way to know which way it will fall, and it can really turn off new 
>> people. Understandably.
>>
>> I think each new member should be responsible for welcoming the next 
>> new person, and showing them where to find things, and how we 
>> operate. We ask new members to put their comments above what they are 
>> replying to. We ask everyone to change the subject line to reflect 
>> the actual subject of their email if it changes from the subject of 
>> the original thread. We ask people to look at the archives and the 
>> General Boats information. We explain that few holds are barred on 
>> this list, and that we talk about everything else when we are not 
>> talking about boats.
>>
>> We put a "J-" (no quotation marks) in front of a joke. We put a "P-" 
>> in front of politics--so people won't be offended by stumbling into 
>> something that was much more than they had bargained for when they 
>> joined the list.
>>
>> Would you be willing to accept the responsibility to welcome the next 
>> new member of the list, and to pass off the responsibility to the 
>> next new member?
>>
>> Bill Effros
>>
>>
>> Joe Astuccio II wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Group,
>>>
>>>
>>>   My name is Joe and I just moved to Fort Lauderdale,
>>> Florida.  I have a passion for sailing but I don't
>>> know how to sail yet LOL.  I have been on a few
>>> different sailboats and I always enjoy my time on the
>>> water.  My favorite thing is the moment the engine
>>> turns off, switching to sails for power, and the
>>> serenity that seems to come with it.  I came across
>>> the Rhodes 22 on the internet and it seems like a
>>> dream that will be within my reach.  lll be lurking
>>> around here reading posts for awhile til I go through
>>> the archives and read some stories.  Im sure there is
>>> alot of useful information there.  Thanks for having
>>> me in the group.
>>>
>>> Happy Holidays,
>>> Joe
>>>
>>>
>>>        __________________________________________ Yahoo! DSL – 
>>> Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
>>> __________________________________________________
>>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>>
>
>
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