Posted by Dinah on January 12, 2003, at 3:22:29
In reply to Re: blocked for 2 weeks, posted by Kam on January 12, 2003, at 0:25:07
You are right. They should feel welcome. Please share any ways that we fellow babblers can help with that. Because Dr. Bob's role is limited here, and it's up to the people on the board to make others feel welcome. And I know most of us want to.
I did want to say that it certainly is not necessary for newcomers to read the years of archives to feel that they have the right to comment on anything or to contribute. I didn't want anyone to think that based on comments made in this thread. I mean, you might just as well tell us we can't make comments to you without reading your attached 15 page life history.
The fact is that some of us know each other a bit from our time here on the board. That's inevitable. And if you don't understand an allusion to something or another from our shared pasts, just ask. We don't mean to exclude by that. It's just kind of natural to refer to things in the past.
Some of us have formed friendships. That's inevitable too. But those aren't for the most part exclusive friendships. You can't have too many friends. Especially since participation here tends to be fluid. People feel better and reduce or stop their participation. Or they get their feelings hurt and move on.
Babble depends on newcomers, and I think we're all open to suggestions on how to make it a more inviting place.
poster:Dinah
thread:35018
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030111/msgs/35093.html