Would it help to have a standard greeting for newbies who come here, or not?

This topic came up recently on another chatroom I frequent, and I wondered if it might make for an interesting discussion here.

The usual pattern for acknowledging first-time posters here is pretty familiar to us, we have all seen it, and it usually goes something like this:

"Hello, my name is abc1. I've just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, I'm pretty scared, and after some websearching found your forum here, and I have a question or two for you."

To which one of us usually responds

"Welcome, abc1. We're sorry you have to be here, but we have some very knowledgable people here who may be able to help. Please ask your questions!"

or words to that effect.

And you know what? Maybe that's enough. Maybe we don't really need to go into a lot more detail in an initial greeting to a new arrival about what our forum does, or the services we can offer. The fact that the newbie is posting here at all means that he has probably already looked at the forum, maybe has read some threads, has already "checked us out," and is likely already thinking that this may be the place for him.

But at the same time, first impressions are important, and this situation is a chance for us to point out some of the things we can offer to new arrivals when they are first talking to us, including matters they might not have considered initially, and we can right away bring their attention to such things.

But one thing is for certain. It's very important that such a possibly expanded greeting be brief. The last thing we want to do is overwhelm a new person with too much information right away about what they can find here. In fact, the shorter the initial communication the better.

Anyway, I was pondering what such a "standard" form of greeting might look like, and came up with something like this:

"Hello and welcome, abc1. We're sorry you have to be here, but we think you'll find this forum can provide you with answers to many of the questions you undoubtedly have right now. The forum has been in operation since 2xxx (what year is it, mods?), and currently has as members younger, middle-aged and older men who have now or have had prostate cancer in the past, who can share with you their experiences with all grades of it, as well as virtually every type of treatment for it, and the effect it has had on their lives. We also get input from their spouses and family members, and the support level here for all members, new and long-time, is excellent. Please feel free to post any questions you may have, and we will do our best to assist you with them. Also, take a minute to look at the "Newly Diagnosed with PC" thread above. It has some very good information in it."

I invite critiques at this point, as to length, content, wording, etc. of the above. Feel free to post any suggestions for improvement.

But, again, do we even need to be thinking about such a standard greeting? Maybe just the "hello, welcome, sorry you're here, but maybe we can help" couple of lines is enough? Say that too if you think so.

So maybe an interesting topic for discussion, and let's see what the feeling is on it, whether to consider instituting such a standard greeting for newbies, or just keep things the way they are.

I think the place for a standard (and therefore impersonal) greeting is in the Newly Diagnosed...Read this Thread First. Or something similar. What newbies would probably most appreciate are personalized, welcoming replies which makes a first stab at answering any questions they ask, and at the same times mention the addition information they can provide to help us help them. I don't have experience with telephone help lines, but I imagine hearing a real voice (and not a recording) is psychologically paramount. Aren't we similar, even if in slow motion?

Djin

81gy, this has come up before...and generally we have come to the conclusion that something standarized really isn't going to cut it. Why? Because there is so much variation in who comes in, and what their status is.

Is the same greeting really appropriate for (a) the son or daughter of a PCa patient, the (b) spouse of a patient, (c) the newbie with a high PSA and nothing else, (d) the high risk newbie who is G9, super high PSA, and docs are telling him we can't cure you but we can keep you going for a long time, or (e) the guy who finds us a year after failed surgery who is deep into recurrence?

No way any of them need the same welcome.

Nothing is broke imho. Keep as is.

The clear trend here is: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
So let's go with that, and greet newbies as we have been doing, which seems to work.

I sometimes respond to posts when I see that they were posted in the morning and no one responded that evening or the next day. Most of the time I can’t offer much but know how the poster feels when making their first post or experiencing a new issue. Any response is better than wrestling with the beast yourself unless it is a negative comment.

IMHO, greeting newcomers is best tailored to the individuals first post. Some are just introducing themselves, some have been lurking for a while and are just saying hello and thanking the forum for the knowledge that many provide, and still others have specific questions.

Only comment i have is to flag a first time poster as new to make it obvious if not already done so they can get a little exra attention. If someone post a question and doesnt get a prompt response they may not feel welcome. Rspecially for spouses, kids and other caregivers.
Just my 2 cents