A while ago† I started welcoming new users by monitoring
https://onlinecommunity.stroke.org.uk/badges/1/basic
Which shows registered users who have looked at 5 topics (threads) and at least scrolled past 30 posts and been logged in for over 10 minutes.
I would have looked at
https://onlinecommunity.stroke.org.uk/badges/0/new_users
Which shows people who have registered an account but not yet met the basic criteria. We can’t. It is currently set as only accessible by admin priveledge.
Some of us do our best to welcome users on their first post.
The reason We can do that is because Discourse software adds a message to any thread where somebody posts the first time to say “this is their first post let’s welcome them”. The reason we do it is because we are trying to support those in need 
Us. We were all there at one time 
I have had reflections from people to say how comforting they found that first response - I always like their post too.
That means they are given the “Welcome” badge - only 1200 out of 26,600! have had one!!
(The forum software was written to lubricate the social interactions by using the heart 
button at the end of every post. Lots of mechanisms are run automatically dependant on this simple act - for example earning becoming a Member [to do so you must have given and received at least one like (and visited on 15 different days & other stuff]
I speculate that many have seen first posts and welcoming replies and it has encouraged them that they can make a first post when they feel able.
For some posting, especially a first post is a hurdle in all of cognitive and emotional as well as the technical challenges of what is a platform built for a software savvy population.
Badges was removed from the menus of the forums software so unless you know the link you can’t get to it at all so we can’t easily identify new basic users who have not posted
†
The reason my attempting to welcome new sign ups got interrupted was because I got banned from a month for discussing privately with KGB the need for dialogue to improve support for us all - I used the C word. Normal dialogue between 2 adult men in private discussing something important.
The reason I was discussing it IS (still)…
That there are statements by the SA the forum has 29,000 users. Discourse records 26,600 Basic registration [BUT only 4½ thousand users (?)] - Access to these statistics was turned off a few months ago. Why?
Less healthly out of 26,600 all-time registrations is only 300 people have ever reached member (& a lot will have become inactive since).
49 have progressed beyond that to regular But some of them have never logged in so presumably they were manually set by admin (EG Rusty1 and Austin et.al.) - There are ONLY 13 members of the lounge You have to be a regular - the Lounge is never used but is a place where you can post without your posts being searchable on the internet - something that several recently departed members care a lot about)
I speculate that a lot of people have discovered this forum because they have a dire need But don’t manage to receive the value that is here nor contribute because of various different challenges.
Sending them a comforting hello message on arrival without them needing to post might help.
I’d like the opportunity to discuss this more widely to see what we could do as a community to be inclusive of the folk who arrive and then leave silently
Is that a good aim do you think?
Votes are anonymous
- Yes it would be worthwhile being discussed
- No. Waste of effort