Welcome to the Forum

[JEK]

We moderators engaged in a discussion this past week on changes we might make to the forum to invigorate the discussions and attract new and younger blood. Many of us have been on the site for years and have aged (gracefully?) in place. We have a constant supply of newer and younger members join, some for a single honeymoon trip and some stay on for the duration after becoming hooked.

Even those of us who know the ropes of island travel, lodging and dining are surprised by the reporting of new restaurants with new owners and the passing of the baton as changes are made. Point being there is always something to be learned and gained by participation on the forum -- even for the Medicare folks who have been coming for decades.

The one thing we can't allow ourselves to do is to be judgmental or hostile to newbies. If you are sick and tired of answering a common newbie question, just don't reply. Someone will be welcoming and post the answer. Your clever post dripping with insider-irony you were about to send just might be misconstrued.

To all you lurkers out there, many of whom joined the ranks of poster last year, please come forward and ask your questions. We will try to give you the advice you deserve. We love to share this little island with you.

 

[cassidain]

:up: Good leadership, mon vieux.

 

[phil62]

Well put, John. As a member in good standing of the "medicare folks" group, I totally agree with your post. We all need to take a step back and reflect on the real mission of this site.

Phil

 

[davesmom]

We moderators engaged in a discussion this past week on changes we might make to the forum to invigorate the discussions and attract new and younger blood. Many of us have been on the site for years and have aged (gracefully?) in place. We have a constant supply of newer and younger members join, some for a single honeymoon trip and some stay on for the duration after becoming hooked.

Even those of us who know the ropes of island travel, lodging and dining are surprised by the reporting of new restaurants with new owners and the passing of the baton as changes are made. Point being there is always something to be learned and gained by participation on the forum -- even for the Medicare folks who have been coming for decades.

The one thing we can't allow ourselves to do is to be judgmental or hostile to newbies. If you are sick and tired of answering a common newbie question, just don't reply. Someone will be welcoming and post the answer. Your clever post dripping with insider-irony you were about to send just might be misconstrued.

To all you lurkers out there, many of whom joined the ranks of poster last year, please come forward and ask your questions. We will try to give you the advice you deserve. We love to share this little island with you.

Thank you for that editorial, as I know we have many more people to learn from and to share with!

 

[tim]

Well said, mon ami!

 

[Jim Kelly-Evans]

Even those of us who know the ropes of island travel, lodging and dining are surprised by the reporting of new restaurants with new owners and the passing of the baton as changes are made. Point being there is always something to be learned and gained by participation on the forum -- even for the Medicare folks who have been coming for decades.

Good point...for those of us who visit the island less frequently, e.g. yearly, the forum is a valuable source of information about SBH. I sometimes use the non-SBH threads as well, e.g., travel to other destinations. They are perhaps under-utilized, except for politics which I do not frequent because I think there are other more appropriate forums on line for those sorts of discussions. I sometimes wonder if newbies are put off by some of the heated political threads.

 

[Eric G]

We moderators engaged in a discussion this past week on changes we might make to the forum to invigorate the discussions and attract new and younger blood. Many of us have been on the site for years and have aged (gracefully?) in place. We have a constant supply of newer and younger members join, some for a single honeymoon trip and some stay on for the duration after becoming hooked.

Even those of us who know the ropes of island travel, lodging and dining are surprised by the reporting of new restaurants with new owners and the passing of the baton as changes are made. Point being there is always something to be learned and gained by participation on the forum -- even for the Medicare folks who have been coming for decades.

The one thing we can't allow ourselves to do is to be judgmental or hostile to newbies. If you are sick and tired of answering a common newbie question, just don't reply. Someone will be welcoming and post the answer. Your clever post dripping with insider-irony you were about to send just might be misconstrued.

To all you lurkers out there, many of whom joined the ranks of poster last year, please come forward and ask your questions. We will try to give you the advice you deserve. We love to share this little island with you.

John,
Thank you for this. I, perhaps foolishly, made a similar statement four years ago. (I say foolishly, because I was a newbie). It was not well received, resulted in several ruffled feathers; and as a result, I lost quite a bit of my "SBH street cred." (As much as a newbie can possess/lose) Though I received some "sympathy PM's," this resulted in my, to some extent, withdrawing from the site.
It is statements like yours that will, as you pointed out, turn lurkers into active participants--I think we all agree, this is a good thing. Thanks again for helping make this great site, greater.

 

[amyb]

On this trip we have met two delightful families-lurkers all. They hailed from Littleton CO and Orlando FL. Down the line I hope to see them get more involved and do some postings of their own. It was so very friendly that they introduced themselves and told us how much they benefited from following this forum.

You never know who is out there reading our posts and being welcoming is a good thing!

 

[cec1]

Hooray for newbies . . . the Forum needs more of them. I find that I not only learn from some of their questions, but I also continually find pleasure in the enthusiasm & awe of "posters" on the Forum -- newbies, frequent contributors, young, & not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be!

 

[alachick]

Obviously to get more posters, we need more members. To get more members, more people need to be aware that SBH Online exists. My first trip down was in 2001 and after 2 more trips, I was not aware of and did not join until 2012. I can't remember how I found the forum but actually found another hosted by Greg I think. My Doctor and his wife have been down several times and I mentioned the forum to her and she was excited to find out about it. I think that is an unconventional way to spread the word, being one to one contact. I know privacy concerns have to be addressed, but what about WIMCO. I'm sure their data base of St. Barts visitors is the largest in existence. A simple mass mailing to inform St. Barts lovers of the forum would no doubt increase interest, and members and posters.

 

[stbartshopper]

We consistently find the Forum helpful and always learn from reading answers to questions that may have been asked in the past. Th answers can change as the island, as customs, laws, traditions and other aspects alter over time.

 

[julianne]

Your message is spot-on, JEK. Many people go out of their way to say "Welcome" when a new person posts; that is a great way to "shake hands" in cyberspace. And welcome them we should. New perspectives keep a forum from becoming stagnant.

This forum has evolved into many discrete discussion groups since I joined in 2002. I am not a prolific poster; I have certainly gained valuable information from other forum posters and I have tried to be helpful when I can. The bantering among many of our forum members is fun and amusing but I suspect may be confusing and off-putting to a newbie who doesn't "get" the inside-forum characterizations. Perhaps a general message such as you have posted, JEK, would be useful in the Helpful hints section---one which notes that the tone and interaction on the various forums are all in good fun and newcomers are most welcome to engage in discussions or not as they choose. I have had new people comment to me privately that they are surprised by some of the hostility on the forum. Some feel that there is a clique culture here. I generally say that there are people who have established genuine friendships through the forum and that naturally leads to deeper connections---it is a wonderful byproduct of this long-lasting site. I have also explained that the banter should not be misunderstood as anything other than people who have come to know each other's foibles poking at one another online. It certainly keeps the forum lively!

 

[JEK]

. Perhaps a general message such as you have posted, JEK, would be useful in the Helpful hints section---one which notes that the tone and interaction on the various forums are all in good fun and newcomers are most welcome to engage in discussions or not as they choose. I have had new people comment to me privately that they are surprised by some of the hostility on the forum. Some feel that there is a clique culture here. I generally say that there are people who have established genuine friendships through the forum and that naturally leads to deeper connections---it is a wonderful byproduct of this long-lasting site. I have also explained that the banter should not be misunderstood as anything other than people who have come to know each other's foibles poking at one another online. It certainly keeps the forum lively!

https://www.sbhonline.com/forums/threads/85847-Welcome-to-the-Forum!?p=924718#post924718

 

[bto]

Well said, Julianne and JEK, well done.

 

[andynap]

With the questions we get from newbies I doubt many choose to read the Tips forum first. Maybe that forum should be first.

 

[davesmom]

Andy, I think that is a great idea! At least you would land where you need to, to start. A good improvement!

 

[JEK]

With the questions we get from newbies I doubt many choose to read the Tips forum first. Maybe that forum should be first.

I'm not sure it makes any difference in this Google age. People find the landing page and then the current topics page and just dive into the content, or Google gives them the thread and off they go. They may never see the full list and just check what is new.

 

[davesmom]

I think we need a place to say something like, "If you are new to the Forum, start here."

 

[julianne]

A perfect message to ease people into the forum, JEK!

 

[JEK]

I think we need a place to say something like, "If you are new to the Forum, start here."

When we give a newbie a "welcome" we should all include a link to TT. Reinforcement.