Request: Member Introduction

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Jiwon
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Request: Member Introduction

Postby Jiwon » Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:40 pm

It surprised me to discover that there is no section of the forum where new members can introduce themselves!

It would be nice to have a sub-forum, name it "Members' Profiles" (which is what it used to be at the old forum) or something that sounds better. Many of us are well past that stage, but when you are a newcomer, it isn't always easy to write that first post on the forum. So having a section where you can write about language-life-story as your first post may send a welcoming signal to all new language learners.

What do you guys think?
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby galaxyrocker » Sun Nov 27, 2016 9:40 pm

It seems like a good idea, but how different would it be from the first post in a log? Or maybe it could be used as a lead-in to a log, so people can see what you're studying without following your log. I'm not sure, just seems like there'd be a lot of overlap, though I do think a "Introduction" section would be more welcoming both to post in and to read rather than starting off on a log. Especially since a lot of logs started in the middle due to the migration.
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby Cavesa » Mon Nov 28, 2016 12:42 am

We've got the logs.
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aokoye
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby aokoye » Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:38 am

My main thought on why an intro section might be a good idea is that I think people think of and use logs as a place to regularly keep a journal of what they are doing. I mean essentially a lot of them function as blogs.

That to me is different than a welcome/intro post.
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Jiwon
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby Jiwon » Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:28 am

Cavesa wrote:We've got the logs.


The introduction section would be different from the first post of the log for many different reasons.

A log details your personal language journey. Therefore, the first post for your log would tend to focus on your current goals and methodologies. This means that you ought to know somethibg about self-learning techniques and setting viable goals - something not all newbies might be confident with. Or the new member may simply want to wait out until they have read and discussed enough on the forum to decide to start a more serious language logging. Afterall, keeping a log is, or should be a continuous process that takes a lot of commitment.

On the other hand a mere introduction would be more focused on the personal information: job, hobbies, pets, dream house, migration history, how you found this place, favourite colour, languages on the hit list, favourite book, least like cuisine, etc. It takes less language knowledge to post and could be a friendly way to get lurking newbies to start posting up here and interact with other users. It also makes existent members more aware of each other, as some people tend to focus on reading logs whose owners they already know, or whose language they are interested in.
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby iguanamon » Mon Nov 28, 2016 2:43 am

We had one before at HTLAL, ever since I was a member there. It was a place where new members could introduce themselves and be welcomed by longer term members. Sometimes some folks would get carried away and use the thread as a surrogate log for a time... until they were gently suggested to start a log. Most people didn't do that. They introduced themselves. They were welcomed. They contributed to the forum. Members' Profiles: Where forum members can introduce themselves - one thread per member.
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby Iversen » Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:37 am

I prefer having the introduction in the log, and one reason for that is my experience with the blurry division line between profiles and log threads in HTLAL. When I started my membership there I did fill out a profile, but then people asked me about several things and soon I had written a number of messages about methods etc. which then became buried under all the new messages when I stopped adding to the profile thread and switched the attention to my new and flashy multiconfused log thread. It is easy to find the first page or two in an active log thread, but if only the log thread is active then nobody will ever see the profile thread on the list of Active topics, and then it will be forgotten.

Another reason is that I doubt that the profiles ever will become something like a blue book. Some members positively like to introduce themselves, others want to stay as anonymous as possible ... and the majority will probably not get around to writing the kind of autobiograph you would expect in a profile thread, but might divulge some snippets of personal information along with reports about their activities in a log thread. With so much diversity it is better to keep whatever biographical data we'll ever get about each member in one place, and the obvious place is the log thread.

And of course everybody should be urged to fill out the language information seen beside each message.
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Jiwon
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby Jiwon » Mon Nov 28, 2016 8:08 am

Iversen wrote:I prefer having the introduction in the log, and one reason for that is my experience with the blurry division line between profiles and log threads in HTLAL. When I started my membership there I did fill out a profile, but then people asked me about several things and soon I had written a number of messages about methods etc. which then became buried under all the new messages when I stopped adding to the profile thread and switched the attention to my new and flashy multiconfused log thread. It is easy to find the first page or two in an active log thread, but if only the log thread is active then nobody will ever see the profile thread on the list of Active topics, and then it will be forgotten.

Another reason is that I doubt that the profiles ever will become something like a blue book. Some members positively like to introduce themselves, others want to stay as anonymous as possible ... and the majority will probably not get around to writing the kind of autobiograph you would expect in a profile thread, but might divulge some snippets of personal information along with reports about their activities in a log thread. With so much diversity it is better to keep whatever biographical data we'll ever get about each member in one place, and the obvious place is the log thread.

And of course everybody should be urged to fill out the language information seen beside each message.


Yes, I understand why some people would want to use the logs instead of a separate introduction section. And it is important to consider that not everyone should have to write a log just because they want to introduce themselves personally. As I stated above, writing a log is, and should be, a long-term commitment with substantial dedication. I think not many of us want to see a dozen of German/French/Spanish learning logs just written up to say high and disappear after a couple of page - and this also makes it awkward for the said poster to come back because you feel like you have to excuse yourself for not keeping the log alive, yet post else where on the forum.

I also have a personal worry about the log section of the forum inflating, because it turns the forum into a strand of language blogs rather than a place for people to "discuss". Granted, we can have the same discussions about languages in personal logs too, but who would want to, or even think about going through 30+ pages of my old German log, just to engage in a discussion about incorporation of literature into self-study? This is one of the reasons why I stopped visiting the old site: Most of the interesting observations were made in logs, but it was just too tedious to follow them all.
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby smallwhite » Mon Nov 28, 2016 8:25 am

Our language profiles (to the right of each post),
our About Me's ("You may include a some more information about yourself and your language-learning history here if you wish"),
our signatures (bottom of each post),
logs,
this thread: Languages Spoken and Learned in this Forum,
now, Member Introduction sub-forum,
...

How many different places do we need to talk about ourselves? What we lack is not new ideas, but existing ideas well-implemented and well-maintained. Then we won't need "new ideas", which are currently really just patch-fixes for shortcomings.

> What do you guys think?

I have no particular preference either way.
Whichever way taken, I'd like to see it well-implemented and well-maintained.
Last edited by smallwhite on Mon Nov 28, 2016 9:00 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Request: Member Introduction

Postby aokoye » Mon Nov 28, 2016 8:40 am

smallwhite wrote:Our language profiles (to the right of each post),
our About Me's ("You may include a some more information about yourself and your language-learning history here if you wish"),
our signatures (bottom of each post),
logs,
this thread: Languages Spoken and Learned in this Forum,
member introduction,
...

How many different places do we need to talk about ourselves? What we lack is not new ideas, but existing ideas well-implemented and well-maintained. Then we won't need "new ideas", which are currently really just patch-fixes for shortcomings.

> What do you guys think?

I have no particular preference either way.
Whichever way taken, I'd like to see it well-implemented and well-maintained.


The languages spoken and learned thread is probably well off of 99% of people's radars. As of my posting this it hasn't seen a new post since June of 2016. Also what are you referring to in your next point, "member introduction"? Is that a specific thread or a feature (like the About Me) that I have yet to find/notice.
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