Just a suggestion...

There's been a recent epidemic of newbies here, and although that's not really a "bad" thing, I get fairly annoyed with newbies when they start new "Off Topic" threads about things that have already been debated too much. I also get annoyed when they have really strong opinions about other members and/or their work. I realise that none of those things are actually breaching any rules, but hey.
So I am going to suggest that new threads should only be able to be started by people who have been here 2 months (obviously they can post in other members threads), I just think this would cut down on some of the bullshit around here.
Also does anyone else think it's annoying that 90% of the members here have never posted anything.
I'm probably the only one with these opinions...
Ionio

I think that's a little harsh, but that's just IMO.

well, most forums have around 80+% members with 0 posts... but 2 months is harsh. Maybe, a week?

What happens if they just sign up for a quick bout of advice ? That would seem quite unfair to peopel that only needed a little help.

Okay, I thought I has the only one who thought like that. I do agree with you guys, I just get annoyed by ignorant newbies, but we were all newbies once...

That's very true, and I still am :) But, I do agree with your original opinion about the new people that just completely ignore the rules and ask stupid things. But, there's not much that can be done. Maybe you should set it so they could only make 1 topic post every 2 days for about ten days.

well, it would help to make a thread with the rules (or make it clear to them, since I still havent seen it) and even being here for some time, I dont know most of it (seems pretty generic forum-to-forum, but maybe it could help stop lamers..)

'nother problem about supposed newbs...<i was checking members section and realized 60%(just an estimate) of registered members don't even bother to post>

That's because after lurking most of us ‘newbies' come to the quick conclusion that posting here is more trouble than it's worth:

As this thread attests: anyone who is new is not allowed to have a strong opinion about anything, from fear of agitating members who have been registered longer. It seems to be the common conception that newbie's opinions obviously cannot be expressed because their registered date is FAR newer than the poster in question; rendering any arguments that they put forward obsolete despite the intellectual merit they may contain.

Another great conception is: People who have been registered for a little while are not only ‘newbies' to the forum, but newbies to editing in general. Whereas people lacking one iota of skill are given free content, support and masses of praise because they are well known or have words akin to “moderator� beneath their avatar.

If a newbie posts a thread such as “hello, I'm new� or “I'm having trouble with my custom skin� he deserves to be ignored or, better yet, is an utter moron and should be flamed off of the site and banished never to return; yet the current big important announcement is “I have changed my avatar.� I guess nobody else is important enough to warrant a global message in case people are trying to find him or her?

The forum is generally confusing and full of clutter. A maze of forums and sub-forums containing millions of sticky threads housing dated information rounded off with giant badly-photoshopped signatures and project-development updates that mostly read single-digit percentages. Not to mention half the posts you read in a thread are passive and add nothing to the topic at hand to try and get in each other's ‘good-books.' An immediate by-product of post-counts and point systems (which also help provoke newbie seperations in communities).

Two words: Superiority complex.

Offering any kind of constructive feedback is an invitation to be shunted from the face of the forum, it seems if you do not reply with “that's the most amazing thing I ever saw!� or at least word your criticism to that effect, you are leaving yourself wide open for a “stfu,� “why don't you do better� and “*whine* hardly anyone has said how brilliant I am.� What exactly is the point in posting your work on a discussion forum if you don't want both sides of the spectrum to be targetable for debate?

Newbies that come here after creating popular battle.net maps see their creations being belittled and torn apart by people for incorrect reasons while other covetous people back them up. Ignorant comments such as“That map is popular because people are morons! My map is not so popular because it's deep, complicated and will change your life.� What would happen if someone replied saying map in question is more popular because, as in any map or game, seemingly simple themes that get progressively more-depth as time progresses, offering immediate enjoyment and gameplay is more fun that spending 50 hours wrestling with a –help command with 10 other people to play a four megabyte glorified whack-a-creep RPG map with a gazillion Doodads and environmental effects per area? What if they suggested people sit down and study what makes these maps so popular discounting the obvious “omg morons� answer? What if they brought up every popular game ever created to back up their infallible argument? I'll tell you what: Bandwagon ridicule thread.

I think that covers just about everything. Of course I'm hoping the first reply I get conveys the message “well if you don't like it, don't post here.� Cleverly both missing and proving my point.

I agree with your opinion, but preventing new members from posting new threads is definitely not the right approach to the problem.

What is a solution? I'd hate to suggest any more forums, but at one site, they create a forum that they call the "Entrance Hall", a place where newbies can introduce themselves and learn the ways of the community before they actively participate in the forums.

The entrance hall is a failry good idea, although it should not add to the post count, otherwise people would spam.

An "Entrance Hall" wouldnt work on this site. Nobody will use it for the simple fact that nobody wants to be classified a noob. We have the offtopic area for that. I simply posted Hello and I got a negative reputation point for it with noob as comments so either way somethings got to be changed.
-VS

this probalem could at least begun to be sloved by some emial sent to every new memeber telling them to read the forum backlogs before starting a thread or asking a question thats been asked to death (i am of course refering to the how can i get heros over leval 10 question), 100 times over in giant text.

However posting by newer members is generaly a bad thing, i didnt post for a couple of weeks whenni first jioned and i lernt at least a 1/3 of what i know now in that time. its generaly not a good idea to start posting unless you have something good to show or informed to say.

I do think soemthing needs to be done about the vast number of members who dont post and only sign up to download. obvioulsy i dont want people banned who dont say a word for a while, or i wouldnt be here, but members who have posted nothing or only spammed to save themselves within 3 or 4 months of theyre join date should have their accounts revoked

There are more important things the staff needs to improve at the site than noob welcoming. Even though that suggestion has probably already been made in the past, I doubt it will be even considered. Too much work and who gives a damn. If there was a solution this site would use it already, dont you think? Anyway, they better think of something quick, something inovative because the site has begun its slump recently. Im not suggesting a simple remake of the nightelf theme into the undead one, but something that more than 50% of the users actually like. But do they even care anymore...
-VS

Hi i'll ask u for a favour, im making with a german team a verry big and interesting open RPG.The map is like Lord of the rings, it includes the whole middle earth on the biggest map. Our team is working all the time on this map.Thats what we needm is only 1 man more..... a skinner moddler, if there is any skinner/moddler who is interested in our map (idea) and want to work with us on this amazing projekt plz send me a e-mail to [email protected]