Many new users on wikiHow that have been welcomed and complimented never reply to the ones who sent them.
Some of the reasons I’d think this happens are:
- They think we are bots, although the compliments and welcomes can be quite specific to which they can’t possibly be bots.
- They think we’re going to be mean like other people on the Internet (trolls).
What do you guys think about this? I don’t want to pressure new users, but I think that not replying means not getting involved in the community.
probably cause they at school or sum.
Nah, that’s probably not it. They go back online the next day or continue doing edits several minutes after the message(s) is/are sent.
system
4
Actually she might have a point
A lot of our new users are young teenagers who are still in school and they may not have the time to come back to reply to messages… or even know how to do it. Also a lot of schools and parents are very strict about this sorta thing and wouldn’t even allow it. But you also have a point, they might be scared of trolls and bots and probably even scammers too! We do get quite a few spammers around here too…
Or they could just be shy? I actually hated replying to messages when I first signed up (and to a small extent, still dislike it). I only replied because I felt it would be rude not to. And honestly, I really think it’s a bad idea to try and encourage new users to reply… No matter what way you spin it, it’s pressuring them. If they want to reply, they’ll reply at their own pace.
Steve5
6
I thought it was a bot because of how quickly the welcome messaged appeared, but I did reply and quickly became friends with the welcomer and we chatted a lot offsite
I still hate replying to messages…
Zodi
8
People can do useful things and not be really involved with the community, and people can be involved with the community and not do useful things. Good-faith edits do not correlate with whether or not a user decides to reply to welcomings or compliments.
I thought it was a automated message too…I was wrong…
Interesting perspectives and opinions, everyone.
Irritating for sure, especially when you spend 5-10 minute writing out a detailed, comprehensive message complete with links to half a dozen articles and pages.
@TeenGal
There is an automated message by WelcomeBot who takes the last booster/admin who made an edit and writes a message on a new user’s talk page as soon as they join.
Caeiia
12
@Artemi7
Not sure if you’re exaggerating, but too many links are…well…too many!
Meh, people still reply. Oddly enough I find more people reply to automated messages more than my personalized ones. Maybe it’s because there are more automated ones sent out, so percentage wise there will be more people responding. I get 15+ messages at a time…
Yep, I was exaggerating. The {{welcomelinks}} template is an example of way too many links…
And I agree, a lot of people respond to the WelcomeBot, but not personal feedback on their articles (unless they’re angry about it).
@Artemi7
That’s exactly what I experience. :-/
When I signed up, I thought that SarahB (Yes, she welcomed me, you can see it in my archives) was a welcome bot. I thought the B in her user name stood for Bot. SarahBot. It turned out she was a real person!
I bet everyone thinks I’m a bot based on my simple username and my profile picture.
i also think that they be annoying you.
@Famous_niya
Oh, of course not. If they were, they’d already start spamming.
@Famous_niya
Once they wake up, though, they should see the notification(s), so probably not. Maybe they don’t see the notifications? That was my other belief, though red-on-green notifications would probably not get ignored.
