We're trialling a new newbie system

I always encourage constant improvements and this is an area which needs it.

I think the ideas are a step in the right direction and I also think some of the ideas in this thread should seriously be considered, i.e. more than 5 posts, less than 10 likes to become a full member.

I think 10 likes is excessive. Getting 5 likes would be a solid indication of a good poster, it would also take 2 minutes to view their post history to make sure they're not playing the mods.

If they start posting shite then they get banned, simple. It would encourage more lukers as it is a more reasonable target.

Another idea could be post counts. So when a member hits say 250 posts, a mod gets an alert to check out their posting history. If it's full of spamming and shite then a quick kick up the arse is needed. If there are some genuine solid posts, then a quick word of encouragement would go a long way.
 
Roman Bellic said:
Has anyone actually been demoted to the Noob forum?
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@Cedric was demoted

Sammyjunn said:
It's great! I really love how the mods try to make this forum even better continuously with the match day threads, transfer tweets and now this. I myself was quite lucky to being able to post in the World Cup forum, if it wasnt for that, possibly I'd still be a newbie.
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Yup same for me. If it hadn't been for the world cup forum, I would have still been a newb -- I would have been out eventually but it would've taken longer.

I think who ever came up with the idea of newbies posting in the World Cup Forum should be lauded. It was a great idea and it allowed for an influx of new posters.
 
MannyB said:
Why not open up the newbie sections to all the mains poster? That way newbs can still engage in discussion with the mains posters which should keep them active.

You could also introduce a thumbs up system in the newbs for the mains guys to hit, which would help the mods with liking posts and speeding up the whole promotion process.

I just think the quality of posts in the mains is going to take a hit if too much riff raff is let up too easily. I don't mind not having a few extra good posters in the mains as long as I don't have to read post from a pre-teen who wormed his way up and is now spamming about his dream signings.
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I like this suggestion.

Perhaps trusted members of the caf could give likes to the newbs instead of having the scouts.
 
I remember someone got demoted way back when I was in the newbs. Pretty sure there was a temporary exchange of posters. I think Clique got to go in the mains for a bit.
 
Sounds like a great idea, means any Newbs posting on the mains can be noticed and perhaps watched more to get the likes required to be a full member. Also it keeps the interest in becoming a full member as those 10 likes always seem so far away.

The system seems pretty fair and giving 5 messages looks a good shout. Plenty of times Ive gazed lovingly at the mains from the newbs and wanted just to say one message on a subject but drat I couldn't.
 
Brwned said:
The majority of the forum survive on 5 posts per day so it's hardly that restrictive. It just means people need to be more considered about what they posts when they first join...and that can only be a good thing in the long run.
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On average yes, but I guess pretty much every poster has days when he makes more than 5 posts. Like when they go into replies for some topic they are interested.

Anyway...
 
Revan said:
On average yes, but I guess pretty much every poster has days when he makes more than 5 posts. Like when they go into replies for some topic they are interested.

Anyway...
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Maybe there could be an option to get another 5 messages if one of their mains posts gets liked.
 
Revan said:
On average yes, but I guess pretty much every poster has days when he makes more than 5 posts. Like when they go into replies for some topic they are interested.

Anyway...
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I was in favour of increasing posting limits faster:
  • 2 likes: can post 10 times a day
  • 3 likes: can post 15 times day
  • 4 likes: can post 20 times a day
  • 5 likes: can post 30 times a day; embed images/media in their posts
But I think starting conservative with this trial is better, see how it goes and we can always tweak the settings as we get feedback on how it's working.
 
This is a great idea. I ended up being one of those who didn't post much for 5 years because of the 'newbie forum only' rule. After I didn't get any likes after 30 or so posts, I barely logged into the forum, but still read the mains. I am sure there are lots more like me out there.

One suggestion you could consider - Give full members with over 5,000 posts or so the ability to like Newbie posts on the main forum. These liked posts can then be seen by the Mods/scouts to confirm 'the like'. You'll have more Caf members working for you ;)
 
@Niall seems like a great idea, however I wouldn't want to be at 8 likes and not being able to regularly post anywhere, as you won't be able to access the newbs anymore and only be able to post 20 times in the mains football forum only.

Those 20 posts a day would have to be pure gold to push through for those 2 extra likes!
 
LennonNL said:
@Niall seems like a great idea, however I wouldn't want to be at 8 likes and not being able to regularly post anywhere, as you won't be able to access the newbs anymore and only be able to post 20 times in the mains football forum only.

Those 20 posts a day would have to be pure gold to push through for those 2 extra likes!
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Yeah that 8 likes position is a bit weird alright. We'll have to review that I think.
 
Surprised that so many of you think that 5 posts is harsh tbh. They're getting 5 more posts in the football forums than they used to and it's encouraging them to think quite clearly about what they'll post to earn their likes and more posts rather than rush in and post a one liner which many of the mains posters (myself included) do, which isn't great for stimulating discussion. I don't post as frequently as i did before but even when i was i think i was only on ~10 posts a day and some of the best football posters on the site don't make 20 odd posts a day as they're good at getting across their points in a smattering of points.
 
I for one welcome our newbie overlords....


All kidding aside sounds like a good plan. Probably won't do much for those who sign up and never post but those who do post will have an incentive to do so. Well done
 
Niall said:
Yeah that 8 likes position is a bit weird alright. We'll have to review that I think.
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Would be quite difficult for mods to look out for these 8 like wonders in the mains anyway, looking to give out likes on their 20 posts a day.
 
I had no real problem with being a newb because I just stuck to topics where it was possible to actually talk about stuff without instantly getting swept up in some trollwave. In my opinion, the newbie system is one of the cornerstones that make this forum so much more enjoyable than others.

This RPGesque "leveling system" sounds like a neat idea. Only potential downside I can spot is that it could kill off interesting discussion midway through until one of the poster's counter restarts. It still sounds better than having to simmer in the newbies, hoping that scouts read and like what you wrote or share your strange sense of humor.

Since I have no insight in how the promotion system actually works this might be nonsense, but maybe the addition of a recommendation system would be a good idea. Instead of liking individual post, which may not reflect the user's average post quality at all, scouts/mods would be able to generally recommend a poster for the mains after 100 posts or so, not because he posted a single brilliant entry, but because he generally posts sensibly, dones't troll, reacts well to banter or whatever. Those would count towards his "likes" or be counted separately from them, granting additional rights or accelerating the promotion.

@Sphaero
 
Post limit is 20 with eight likes? How many posts on average do full members post on the mains?
 
Piratesoup said:
Since I have no insight in how the promotion system actually works this might be nonsense, but maybe the addition of a recommendation system would be a good idea. Instead of liking individual post, which may not reflect the user's average post quality at all, scouts/mods would be able to generally recommend a poster for the mains after 100 posts or so, not because he posted a single brilliant entry, but because he generally posts sensibly, dones't troll, reacts well to banter or whatever. Those would count towards his "likes" or be counted separately from them, granting additional rights or accelerating the promotion.
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We "fast track" newbies in the current system. Obvious stand-out newbies are discussed among the modmins/scouts for early promotion before they hit 10 likes. It's not uncommon by any means.
 
Amethyst said:
Yep, for begging for a tag line.

@Edgar Allan Pillow too when he was called Fruit Cake. We (the newbies) decided to make a thread for ideas to prank the mains with the help of the mods and scouts. He got promoted, grassed us up to the mains members and was quite rightly demoted.
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:lol: You still remembers this! Iirc, it was me who came up with the prank idea!
 
What if you could reply when being quoted even if your post limit was reached?
 
It seems a funny system , a way to be seen in the main forum. I think the best way that a person does not leave and is interested is provoke him and refute what is saying to see what has inside.
This system has already begun ? The only problem I see is that if I were in that situation, I would not bother writing in the newbie forum.I would probably write only in the main forum , so it may be that the other forum lose even more interest.
It would be fun too if they had a thread for them within the main forum(with the posts limitations) for every full member to know who is who, changing the subject of debate every two or three days, some kind of competition.
 
From 2008 to 2015, I remember thinking I'd never get out of the Newbie forum but I actually enjoyed it there and didn't give a shit. Then one day I logged in and the Newbie forum was gone and I was a Full Member.

In any case, the discussion about Man Utd remains the same everywhere, Newbie or the mains.
 
Amar__ said:
Good to see that you folks are trying hard to improve on this.

I thought last year was terrible in terms of quality newbies promoted, it seems like pretty much everyone who posted regulary in newbies was promoted even if that poster was posting shite most of the time, I thought you lot were just lazy and didn't care anymore about that.
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As the creator of gamechanging threads like:

- The self-fulfilling prophecy thread
- DIY plastic surgery with P. Jones

and the box office hit:

- Stevie G. - life sucks if you're average

I feel offended.
 
It's good changes but i must say from my experience that it was quite easy to get 10 likes. I registered back in 2012 but didn't post anything till last summer. The reason was that my english is not as good as it could be but when i started posting i got 10 likes in about 50 posts even if my english is not the best.

I am just afraid that it will be a lot easier to those who will came here just to troll and WUM people on this forum, as they would need just a few good post to be able to start their mision. I still think everyone who join this forum with a reason to contribute with his own opinion can be promoted in a week.
 
I think letting newbies post in mains is a good idea as I've found the mains to be very fast paced after getting promoted. At first I didn't post for a while and even now I still don't post a lot as I don't have a lot of spare time to be on the Cafe so when you are back on, say after 24 hours there's a hell of a lot of reading to get through!
 
It's a welcome change.

I knew there was a newbie forum before I joined. I was only trying to be sure to have an access to the forum (probably because I had a weird expectation it may be viewable only to members in the future). This system seemed quite intimidating if you had to show you follow rules, post clever/witty observations, write in a good English and be lucky to be noticed. Fortunately, I enjoyed posting and reading in the newbie forum and my goal wasn't to get promoted fast.
 
Jerch said:
It's good changes but i must say from my experience that it was quite easy to get 10 likes. I registered back in 2012 but didn't post anything till last summer. The reason was that my english is not as good as it could be but when i started posting i got 10 likes in about 50 posts even if my english is not the best.
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Depends on where you post actually. If you post in general newbie forum than its very hard to get a look in since it is difficult to make sense of what is quality and what is copy paste from other websites. Also there are few posters who work on to maintain the thread created, again very difficult scenario to get more than 1 like even though there might be some quality.

Having an opportunity for newbie to post in the main would give some newbies more incentive to post rather than remain idle, which seems to have been the case even in yours for a while. I think in overall new system is not bad. As long as being stuck on 8 likes and being neither here nor there issue is fixed, this is not a bad approach to encourage more newbies to actively participate.

Anyway, the assumption being made is that newbies who have some quality post to made are being discouraged to post due to the newbie system and it is perhaps a good idea to test the assumption and give newbies who have been a newbie for a while some chance to prove the assumption is correct. That's why perhaps it is just a trial. I agree with you that getting likes is not an issue because lot of mods/scouts are quite generous.
 
Eboue said:
Except for @niMic. He really is lazy.
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Lazy and busy. I definitely shouldn't have just let it "fizzle out" though, should probably have asked to be removed myself.

Just admit it, Eboue. You fecking love me.

That said, this system looks like a great idea. I think this part is probably very true:

We surveyed hundreds of Newbies last month and the majority join the forum because of what they read in the mains but the current system prevents them from contributing there for a long time (never if they don't post much). It's understandable most of them don't stick around. I'm sure we're missing out on plenty of good posters.
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Maybe things are different now, but when I started making an effort in the newbies it was solely for the purpose of getting promoted. I even avoided posting in large threads because I thought there was less chance of my comment getting repped (liked). Luckily I was very kindly told that I wasn't too far off promotion, or I might have given up eventually. This system should do wonders for that.
 
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SilentWitness said:
Surprised that so many of you think that 5 posts is harsh tbh. They're getting 5 more posts in the football forums than they used to and it's encouraging them to think quite clearly about what they'll post to earn their likes and more posts rather than rush in and post a one liner which many of the mains posters (myself included) do, which isn't great for stimulating discussion. I don't post as frequently as i did before but even when i was i think i was only on ~10 posts a day and some of the best football posters on the site don't make 20 odd posts a day as they're good at getting across their points in a smattering of points.
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Me too - Im of the opinion that it is very generous and needing just 1 Like to get access to the Mains is too little!
 
All changes seem very positive to me.

jojojo said:
It's not that no one's being promoted, you can see in the newbie intro thread in the general that promotions are happening. It's just that a lot of the people we're promoting now joined in previous years and when you look at their posting history, it looks like a lot of those gave up posting for months or years before deciding to restart posting and get promoted.

So we know that some good posters get put off for a while, but we think that probably means that we lose some other potentially good posters completely.
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That's exactly what I did. I barely posted for 10 months after joining. I was promoted basically because of time spent in the newbs (along with a few likes and no crap in my posting history I'm assuming).
 
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