Moving Member Introductions back into the "Official Forums" Category

This is my personal opinion, and is always a pit hate about some forums is when they shove the introductions forums near the bottom of the forum, along with other sections such as feedback & support.

It makes me feel as if the owner does not care about the community, because you have to scroll down to the bottom and search for the section when 9 times out of 10 it's the first section you visit!

 

Personally, I think it's fine where it is, and I'd even move your "Official Forums" section south too. You need your most important content first, and that isn't intros or announcements, it's your main on topic forum.

Why do people visit this webmaster forum? To read about being a webmaster. Not to hear about your latest style choice or say hello to someone they will never meet and do not (yet) know.

 

Yea, thats why I moved the forum as it wasn't really that important, I always like to keep the announcements on top, but the introductions wasn't that important thats why I moved it to the Community Forums Category. The introductions forum would be better on top say if it was a general discussion forum.

 

I see it fine where it is. But I'm open to hear others opinions on it.

 

Whilst it may be true that you visit sites for contents, I still do not see why forums have to move their introduction forums near the bottom because they say it's "Not Important"

Making your community feel welcome, is very important, and shoving the welcome section for new members down the bottom could effectively be saying to lurkers: "Hey this forum is throwing the welcome forum at the bottom of the forum, does that it that new members are not important enough?"

Personally, If I see a forum with the member introductions forum at the bottom, I don't bother joining because it makes me feel very unwanted and not important enough to be a member there because all the admin cares is about their content and not the community itself.

The same applies when I've been on staff and the staff forums have been above everything else because the owner has classed the staff forums more important than their board announcements, feedback & introductions for new members.

Why should new members have to scroll right down to the bottom of the forum to make their introduction? Because they are not important enough, because you don't want them to introduce yourselves, or because you just want them to post everywhere else without them introducing themselves?

Most people I know work their way top to bottom on forums (and bottom to top with threads), so if your member introductions section is at the bottom, it means they are getting welcomed last, so if you were at a forum and everyone posted everywhere else, and you were welcomed last, how would that make you feel?

I've always seen the best layout to be:
Forum HQ (in this case, official forums)
-Announcements
-Feedback
-Introductions

Main Forum Category
-Main Forum Category Forums
--Main Category Sub-Forums (if any)

Off Topic Category
-Off Topic Forums
--Off Topic Sub-Forums (if any)

Hidden Forums Category
-Hidden Forums

 

I agree with Ashley. Introductions need to be some what around the top. Members always come first and that also means introductions. We always want the new members to feel welcomed.

 

Thanks for your opinions everyone, this is still open for suggestions.

 

The reason why I put it down on the bottom [for my sites] is because the introduction forum isn't very popular; therefore it is not important, as Kaiser said.

For example, in the call of duty community, the #1 forum topics [generally speaking here] are guides, and videos. And then, the topic at hand.

If the user REALLY want to feel welcomed in the community they will find your introduction forum, no matter where it's placed. The only reason most users want to feel welcomed is because nobody knows them well. Users like me - the one that is known everywhere - don't really need it unless he's new to that territory.

 

I agree with Ashley.S.'s preferred forum layout (though I wouldn't go so far as to say I wouldn't join because of a different structure). A new member will probably start at the top of the forum list and go down from there, so it seems natural to me to put announcements, feedback, and threads important/useful to new members (i.e. introductions) at the top of the list, closely followed by forums that are related to your site's topic, leaving the general discussion forums to sit at the bottom.

 

Maybe you need to try being a little bit less sensitive about things such as where the intro forum is placed. You'd never join a forum unless it had an intro forum at the top? What about if we meet in the middle and put it half way down the page? Second from bottom....?

The simple fact is that people do not join a forum because they can see a forum with "Hi I'm new LOL" answered by "Welcome to the forums LOL" typed out a few times. They join because the subject matter is of interest to them. Therefore, you should put that "interest" where it is easily found; at the top.

I agree that the situation should be different for general forums, but for a niche such as this one, or mine for example, content is key.

Of course, you can also consider that it isn't just an intro forum that will make people feel welcome. A welcome message will do that for you, and still enable you to keep content at the top. Your attitude can be welcoming too, in the way you handle your community. Let people read your content and see you run a welcoming community where ideas on the subject can be seen.

People do not join a forum to read welcome threads, nor do they join to read about your style choices or new rules. They join because of a common interest.

 

I've not posted here for a few days as I've had other things on my mind, but this is not over yet. I would add a poll but I can't so we'll just have to keep discussing and keep tallying up who wants what, etc.

It's better to see the community welcome each other, than feel unwanted, a community is important to go along with your content, so if they are not important to be near the top within the main forums (announcements, feedback, etc.) what are they? Important, but not that important enough?

As the old saying goes: "If it ain't broke...Don't fix it!" so why move it in the first place when it was perfectly fine where it was before?

 

I dont see what the big fuss is about "Ohh, um it dosent welcome members"

I think its fine where it is, and most webmaster forums have it that way... whats the big deal anyways?