New Members section?

[nathanmallard]

Hi all,
Fairly recently a new member, called Dennis, joined these forums, going by a rather unfortunate moniker (apparently a typo caused by his dyslexia). Predictably, he was banned straight away. I feel this was slightly unwarranted, and I also feel that this community could be viewed as a bit hostile to newcomers, especially those of the younger sort. Fair enough, he kept asking for stuff and that isn't allowed, but I'm sure a lot of people did this when they first joined (me included). Therefore, I propose that all new members be restricted to posting in a special "New Members" section so they can learn the rules around here. I also think that they should be some sort of "New Member Liason Officer", to advise new members on what's acceptable and what's not. I think that if the new member has shown that they can be a mature member of the community, than they should be allowed to post on the rest of the forum after 30 days. If not, they should be restricted to the New Members forum for another 30 days. If they still haven't grown up enough after 60 days, they should be banned permanently. I also think this would help the mods fight spam attacks as they would be isolated to one part of the forum.
What does everybody else think of this? I know some have proposed a "fantasy" section in the past but I feel this should be discouraged to avoid the forum being swamped by members of various internet fandoms.

 

[shaneturner12]

I think there have been a few suggestions similar to this, including by me. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to have come to fruition.

One thing to consider though is the possiblity of language translation issues.

Shane

 

[nathanmallard]

The user I mentioned in my post was Canadian, apparently his rather innapropriate username was a typo. I don't think language translation issues are a massive problem on these forums; I know a lot of the Russian, Chinese and Japanese members seem capable of switching between their native languages and English with ease.

 

[shaneturner12]

I know which user you mean don't worry. I have noticed a few though where translation does seem to be an issue and who rely on Google Translate.

However. what I think may also help is if guidance on what is appropriate and not appropriate particularly on the username side.

Shane

 

[BryanMar3046]

I know which user you mean don't worry. I have noticed a few though where translation does seem to be an issue and who rely on Google Translate.

However. what I think may also help is if guidance on what is appropriate and not appropriate particularly on the username side.

Shane

I agree with this. Since the trainz community is starting to expand, I've noticed that there are some new members here don't speak English as much as we do, and are probably struggling with trying to communicate in a language he/she aren't familiar with most of the time.
In addition, I kind of wished I followed the rule guidance where it was recommended that you don't set your username as a name that is personal. Then again, I didn't think about it much so it's technically my responsibility for creating my username.

 

[Roy3b3]

I think it is a great idea. All of us were new once and I know I had heaps of questions at the start because I knew nothing. If there was a section of the Forum where 'newbies' could all go to, then I'm sure there are plenty of 'oldies' who are prepared to help these guys. An administrator could quickly keep check on the material being shared and monitor it accordingly. I also think a probationary period is a good idea.

Cheers, Roy3b3

 

[Sourdough]

I don't believe for a second that it was a "typo"....just my opinion. This kind of thing doesn't happen often enough to warrant a change in the forum. There are enough "oldies" that are willing to help out newbies now....and then there are some who think they're a nuisance. That's the way it is and trying to create a "safe" place for newbies isn't going to change anything.