I'd like to ask the people who are in support of "Hello" threads: Does it really make a difference as to how you perceive the poster? After you'd made the requisite "Hi and welcome!" post, did this person have any special place in your memory because they started a "hello" post?

I suspect not. I suspect that most of these posts fade into irrelevant obscurity and no one cares for more than a few minutes that they were posted, if they ever cared at all. So when something contributes nothing to the board, why should it be encouraged?

Furthermore, I think twister has a point when he points out that people who start "hello" threads more often than not don't turn out to be great contributors. This is not meant to be a pointed dig at anyone who has recently started a "hello" thread, it just seems to happen that people who feel the need to start their run on the board by announcing their presence get bored and depart relatively quickly. If GFried did in fact start his career that way, he'd be the proverbial exception that proves the rule.

While I think it would be a bit extreme to ban on sight anyone who starts a "hello" thread at this point (after all, the poor dears don't know any better), I would be well in favor of explicitly banning the practice as part of a TW netiquette guide and then banning the violators on sight.

In reply to:

---

[Wraith2]Can't we put up a TW Netiquette Rules book somewhere?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I second that. Although they should be compiled by Adam, not Twister!

---

FWIW, 99% of the things about which twister is vocal are things that Adam has supported in the past. In a way, you might say twister is Adam's footsoldier, trying to enforce the common sense that Adam brings to people's attention but that they choose to cast aside.

WW

I like beer with my air.