[Sundae]

Are we harsh to newbs? I've been thinking about this since yesterday.
I honestly don't think so. although I accept I am in the minority. Which makes me feel odd - there's something I'm just not seeing.

I've joined forums where they expect you to stop by a special thread, tell them all about yourself, then the mods and perhaps one other person welcomes you (whoever you are, you could be John William Gacy for all they know, everyone gets told hello, and how interesting they sound - clowns you say? How interesting!)

Then they go about the usual forum business of pretty much ignoring you and responding to the in-crowd.

At least we don't pretend we're going to faint with bliss just because someone new has turned up.

And anyway, unless someone writes something that completely blows me away in their first week, why should I act as if they do? I wouldn't do it in real life. A new starter at work, yes - I would take them under my wing. Show them where the toilets are, explain the kitchen rules, lend them my Tippex. But I expect to have a relationship with them that will last months if not years. And they tend to turn up at the same time I do every day.

If I'm at a party with my friends (ahem, we're pretending here) I don't spend all evening talking to the only person there I don't know. I don't ignore them certainly, that's just bloody rude, but unless they happen to be one of my all time heroes I won't press myself upon them.


We've had some newb rows over the time I've been here. But in general I think the Cellar is the way I found it - cautiously polite and more likely to shake your hand than spit in it.