Is it time for CU to add a newbie category to the forum?
chesterb
Posts: 962 ✭✭✭✭✭
Piggybacking on a recent question from @CaptHenway regarding a new token forum, I was wondering if CU should add a newbie section? My proposal is that the first 10 new member posts are routed to that section first before they can post in the main forums. It could deter potential trollers and limit the parking lot and found in spare change questions
Also, maybe this is me and I'll probably get beat up for saying this, but I noticed that the quality of posts and discussion has gone down a bit recently. Maybe it's because I'm posting more 
or maybe it's because we lost a couple members or other members are posting less, but there does seem to be less fervor in the discussion recently. I can't believe I'm saying this but let's beg jmlanzaf to come back!
Comments
One mechanism another forum I follow uses is to not allow new members to create a discussion topic until they have posted at least 10 comments. From what I understand, this was used to address the perceived "laziness" of some new members who posted a simple question that could have been easily answered by searching the forum or using google.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
I never get tired of seeing parking lot finds posted by Trolls.
Yeah... they have to learn the secret handshake and stuff.
``https://ebay.us/m/KxolR5
I'd rather we just welcome everyone.
It takes like, what, a day to find out who is just trolling.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
You can still welcome everyone and still see their questions. It will just be in one easy to find category.
I think newbies should be around a certain amount of time before posting sell threads on the BST.
How many members check the Q&A forum daily to see if they can help answer a newbie question?
Good chance newbie questions would go unanswered and then they would post on the main forum anyway.
I never even noticed the Q&A forum. I never look at it.
Is there a Q&A forum?
Whoops ... please delete ... wrong forum.
See http://www.doubledimes.com for a free online reference for US twenty-cent pieces
Honestly there should be. But what is the line between new and people like me who are not knowledgeable about everything to do with coins. I ask a few questions about new coins I bought.. So would that make me new? I also agree with setting a minimum comment limit to ask a question.
New to boards should be limited to creating no more than 2 threads a week. We’ve had new members ignore etiquette and create multiple threads daily that spam the first page of the US Coins forum.
In fact, I’d support that reasonable rule for all members if it can’t just be applied to new members.
"Got a flaming heart, can't get my fill"
How about a special forum for all the self proclaimed experts to hang out on and high 5 about each others newps, free from "trolls" and "newbies"? And they can all continue to post about how there's not enough "new blood" in the hobby to sustain it, while shooing them away with the other hand.
It works ATS because there are a few members that are diligent about monitoring and answering the newbie questions, it would require some members here to do the same to be successful.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
I doubt he ever left.
I don't like this separate but equal caste system. It presupposes that length of membership and post count are useful metrics in determining the value of a member or that member's knowledge base. A low post count means that you are new to the forum and not that you are necessarily new to the hobby and completely clueless. New members can be quite knowledgeable. We've had plenty of knowledgeable forum members that have been reincarnated over the years through new monikers. They too would be caught in your numismatic purgatory. It also doesn't follow that a high post count means that a poster is knowledgeable or is not a troll. We've had high post count members that have trolled before. One had numerous alts and even Brett called him out publicly after banning him (e.g. Wabbit).
They should add an open forum.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
I think there are several factors at play:
There have been a fair number of bannings recently, and I believe that many posters are being less candid than they would have been during the period where the forum was less strictly moderated for fear of being banned.
The summer doldrums are just ending. People may be going on last minute vacations, and kids are going back to school. This means less time for coins.
The market is declining generally. Some posters are taking a hiatus until the dust settles.
The decline in post quality can be directly tied to the number of knowledgeable members that have been booted. Most of the posts now are about eBay, plastic/sticker obsessions, or random things of minor significance. This turns off many posters who want to learn, creating a vicious cycle where knowledgeable posters simply lose interest and move on.
4 was what I was eluding to originally. There was probably good reason for the bans but it came at a cost...IMO.
It’s been a difficult year for a lot of people and for a lot of reasons. Couple that with some sensitive topics that have come up this year culturally and you get some unfortunate posts or worse. Perhaps some of the people will be allowed to return, some may have been given warnings multiple times and we’re unaware. I was here back 18 years ago when it was loosely moderated and today. There’s good and bad to both approaches. But I still think this is the best forum for coins out there.
I’d never go there. Would anyone else but Newbs?
No.
I would like to see it continue just the way it is....I welcome new members - and remember, all 'new' members may also be very experienced collectors...just new to this forum. New collectors need help and guidance...their questions should be answered with patience.... We were all new and inexperienced at some point. I cannot see any value in 'segregating' new collectors and then complaining about the hobby dying due to lack of new collectors. Cheers, RickO
I learned a lot posting in the NGC newbie forum. Members took me under their wings and helped steer me in the right direction. I still check that forum for comments by my favorite collectors.
It's not you. It's not your posts. It's not anybody here.
Never forget that there are disinformation campaigns that succeed largely because people are so susceptible to psychological intimidation. It costs less than 1/10oz gold to buy trolls for an extended, halfway decent campaign.
A lot of people are insecure or have other confidence problems which is why they are so successful.
Remember you are posting on the literal front lines of the war gold fixers continue to wage. Theres literally no better place for that sort of thing here, or NGC, reddit, facebook coin groups and is where I'd have my trolls start.
There are other areas of social media undergoing the same types of harassment. But no it's not that everyone is being rude or you suck or your friends suck, or that things got less interesting. Its because everyone you love is being intimidated because people are greedy.
I guarantee you that zero has changed about the core posters here, outside of well, current events.
Not everyone wants to play by the rules we have to abide by. Stay very aware if you're going to continue posting in forums like this. Watch them long enough and even the bots become obvious. It is sick. It is not you or anyone here.
The bad guys are just doing a really good job.
I don't like a caste system or segregation for any reason, it's unAmerican in my view and unwelcoming to new members.
On the other hand, I would favor having the moderators intervene and temporarily freeze any post with a vague title such as. "What would happen if.... " so that we can all avoid opening silly posts by senior members and newbies alike.
Commems and Early Type
To be honest, I think the influx of new posts are no more than people not working, working from home and just have a lot of time on their hands. Once people get back to their old routines, a lot of the misc posts will go away.
My Original Song Written to my late wife-"Plus other original music by me"
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8A11CC8CC6093D80
https://n1m.com/bobbysmith1
The newest one shows how they will run their post count to 59 in less than 24 hours and be here anyway.
I absolutely agree with his point. This is not appropriate, and does not further the interests of experienced collectors. We all want to see the hobby grow, so let's not advocate things that might cause neophytes to walk away.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Yes the Q&A is a good starting point. I occasionally hop over there and see many answers from you and others. Good work!
Collector, occasional seller
I just feel like the really good, engaging, and educational posts are waning and we're seeing more posts about parking lot and $1 value coins. These are good if they are truly newbies joining who want to learn. However, if it gets to be too much then the more seasoned collectors won't visit as much and the whole forum suffers.
I couldn't agree more...
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Love for Music / Collector of Dreck
It is very generous of some members to believe these posters of parking lot finds are not trolls.
Sometimes in life you just need to learn to take the bad with the good.
I would not leave the wealth of information found here over a few silly posters.
Edited to add: Not gonna let it ruin my day either.
No
Trolls seek responses.
If you suspect a troll, just do not respond.
Newbies always have a place here.
Easy enough to tell the difference between the two.
I too, miss the educational posts, but I think that it's a function of aome members being banned. It was nice when some took the time to share interesting info they found through the NNP or other archives/sources. There are still a few that do this like Jesse from the ANS (apologies to others that I missed), but those are now few and far between. Regardless, a Newbie forum isn't going to help that, and I agree with other members for similar reasons why that would be a bad idea to implement
It may help to keep the front page clearer if everyone were to use the "agree" button for the first correct answer given rather than keep bumping the thread with "Yes, I agree"
They should move the B S T forum to number 3 on the list so that you don't have to scroll down to get to it. Swaps,tags, etc. is hardly a higher priority forum than B S T forum in my book.
I agree with that idea
Yes, I agree.
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin