good batch of n00bs latley

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by theotherguy

How long ago could you have joined and still be considered a n00b?

I have seen a few first posts, and I was tempted to welcome them, but it felt weird. I'm too N00by.
I'm wondering, when does one cease to be a n00b? Is it by post count? Threads started? Calendar-measured presence? Or some less quantifiable measure of being vaguely known to the general gang?

Sorry, but n00b always makes me think of

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

I'm wondering, when does one cease to be a n00b? Is it by post count? Threads started? Calendar-measured presence? Or some less quantifiable measure of being vaguely known to the general gang?

That's a very interesting question. Post counts don't mean a lot here. There are some posters who've been around since 2002 and have about 200 posts - but if they've made them count then they are known, and are welcomed back when we haven't seen them in a while.

Threads started get your name noticed, but unless they are quality threads, there is no guarantee of becoming anything more than the annoying noob cluttering up the board. Tough crowd

The length of time served doesn't seem to affect noob-status an awful lot either. Some people feel like they've been here longer than their join date suggests - they just fit and that's it.

So I take option number 4 - being known and liked by a number of posters already here. We're a diverse board, so you don't have to appeal to everyone. And sometimes if noobs are given the cold shoulder by even one Dwellar they feel they have failed - but it's not true (honest). That is solely my opinion of course YMMV.

I still feel like a noob here myself sometimes. I feel like the newly arrived girlfriend in a long established social group. Still liable to blurt out something embarrassing because I feel I've been accepted, but taking it one step too far. Still - it's only been two years, and my closest friends in real life I've had for over 20 after all. Maybe in 20 years I'll still be here, talking about my knee operation rather than my Dad's but still having problems with my weight, my finances and my lovelife. Damn, I wish I hadn't thought that...