Welcome the Newbies

[koala79]

Hey I am a newbie too and just wanted to say hi!

[Saru29]

I am a newbie too and i agree with what everyone says. After being on many message boards i have learned that it is hard to start out as a newbie and you will always do something wrong, but it is not the end of the world. You get on with life. Eventually we learn.

[Michelle Celio]

Also as a newbie I am actually kind of scared to post. I guess its the fact that I feel as if I dont know enough about anything to post and then again I dont know many people on here so it's hard to relate.

[Marc P.]

Originally Posted by Enterprize

I see no problems with ANYONE offering opinions or advice. They are just that, opinions and advice from their perspective. It doesnt require you to listen to or follow their advice, instead it offers a learning potential. If you dont follow their advice (because its flawed) and instead of slamming them for being a newbie and trying to help, tell them why it wouldnt work very well. After all, the newbie WAS just more than likely just trying to help.

They reserve the right to express their opinions and advice just as much as some mentor that's been on the forum for years. I think anyone who says otherwise is just being silly.

Opinions and advice about certain issues is always welcome and A Good Thing. However, these forums harbor quite a bit of technical discussion, dealing with potentially lethal forces (pneumatics, electronics, mechanical, etc), and in such circumstances it's best not to offer advice or help unless you really know what you are talking about.

The last thing this community needs is for someone to be seriously injured because of some bad advice given on a public forum. I think that's where John's mind was when he made that post, and his concern is well founded.


With regards to the original topic, I've been registered on ChiefDelphi since January of 2002, and had read the forums regularly since the start of the 2001 season. The one thing that has always jumped out at/impressed me about this community (compared to other large sites like Slashdot) is the overall quality of the forums, in posts, topics, members, etc. Trolls are virtually nonexistent around here, and spam is kept to a minimum thanks to the herculean efforts of the moderator crew.

As the community grows (and it has been, almost exponentially it seems), it's important to maintain the quality that keeps people coming back. The content on this site is second to none in terms of technical documents, community discussion, and overall friendship. The reputation system is one of the methods of identifying people who have in one way or another contributed something to the community, whether it be technical insight, a fresh perspective on a subject, or providing valuable input to a discussion. It's not meant to ward off would-be John-V-Neuns or Andy Bakers or Dave Laverys, and people shouldn't use it as such. But again, quality is important. It takes a lot for me to give out negative reputation, and I usually wouldn't unless I felt a post obviously detracts from a discussion.

My best recommendation for new users is to absorb as much as you can. Read the forums for a few days to get a general feeling for the types of discussions taking place. This is a community, and all communities are governed by commonly known unwritten rules (in addition to the written rules that were agreed to by becoming a registered user). Things like searching before posting and spelling and grammar are common new member mistakes.

Take in the scenery, learn how things work, then take the plunge and join the community.

[Cooley744]

So you should search before you post, but if you want to say something, you can't, because then you are bringing back the old thread! lol

[Et Tu Brute]

Hi guys,

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but just wanted to pop in and say hi! This is our first year participating and we're really excited.

Look forward to a good year

[kstl99]

Originally Posted by Et Tu Brute

Hi guys,

I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but just wanted to pop in and say hi! This is our first year participating and we're really excited.

Look forward to a good year

Welcome!

This is my second year and I have been amazed at the wealth of information and the amount of people who want to help on Chief Delphi. My suggestion is to look all around this forum and USFIRST.COM and do not be afraid to ask questions about what you can't find.

Good luck!

[EricH]

USFIRST.COM will not get you competition information.

http://usfirst.org, on the other hand, will get you all the official competition info you need, while Chief Delphi will be more than happy to help you with anything else you need help with.

[kstl99]

Originally Posted by EricH

USFIRST.COM will not get you competition information.

http://usfirst.org, on the other hand, will get you all the official competition info you need, while Chief Delphi will be more than happy to help you with anything else you need help with.

Thanks for correcting me. That's what I get for being too lazy to make it an actual hyperlink using cut and paste.

[Et Tu Brute]

Thanks guys I appreciate it ^^

[Francis-134]

I have to say that I agree with all of y'all on this one. Instead of bashing the newcomers for not searching, perhaps it would be better to persuade them into searching. Something like answering their question, pointing them in the direction of the previous thread, and telling them it might be faster and more efficient if they searched for it beforehand.

[Beth Sweet]

Originally Posted by Arefin Bari

I would like to share a little story…

The message on the negative reputation stated “DO NOT BRING BACK OLD THREADS.”

Fin,

Yup, I got the same one as one of my first posts. One of my few reds actually. To newbies, the people on these forums may come off as attacking or rude sometimes, each and every person here. 99.9999999...% of the people here, aren't, and just come off so accidently. To anyone who gets a similar message as this, pat yourself on the back for searching and welcome to CD, it's a great place to be

[JBotAlan]

I'm just curious, what is your criteria for giving good rep? What would 'wow' you enough?

P.S. (I'm pretty new) how do you go about giving rep?

[Beth Sweet]

Originally Posted by JBotAlan

I'm just curious, what is your criteria for giving good rep? What would 'wow' you enough?

P.S. (I'm pretty new) how do you go about giving rep?

Everyone's criteria for good rep is different. Personally, if I see someone going out of their way to help someone else, if I see someone making a good point (and doing so in a classy fashion not a "you're dumb I'm smart" way) or anything that just makes me say "wow", I will give a good rep.

As to how to give +/- reps, on the top right of each post, there's a white scale. If you click that, it will give you a popup with the options of "I approve" "Neutral" or "I disapprove" and a space for your reasoning. You are required to tell them why you are giving them that rep.

[wilshire]

I got this sort of treatment as well my first few months of being on CD and I am just now getting into the positive numbers for reputation. if this wasn't a FIRST oriented site I would have been long gone a while ago.