So i guess everyone is leaving..?

Here comes a Knight to barge in on the conversation! :ohmy: I do have access and answers that many here don't have, so please, ask away and I will try to answer.

I will do my best to address a few points here from a Knight's perspective and as someone holding an office here. To begin with, this Temple is not "in flames" or collapsing. Everyone is not leaving. There are transitions and changes being discussed, but they are due to this place growing, not dying. There are logistical matters (membership processing and rank updates), legal matters (bylaws to be updated as we are a 501c3 charitable organization bound by the laws of Texas and the U.S.), website and server matters (our server is in France and we are bound by international laws as well), I.T. matters (as of now we have one guy doing all of the work to keep this site secure from hacking and functioning correctly), and more.

Yes, some people will be frustrated with all of this bureaucracy and leave, but others will arrive or return. A Jedi's path is ultimately their own, and we all have to decide where the Force is leading us. As of now, my place is still here, but that doesn't mean I can't also be elsewhere.

I have been on this site for four years. When I joined, there were far fewer members and this place would be a ghost town some days. My introduction post received just six replies on my first day as well, and there was no IP Team or welcoming committee or any of that. I had to click on the FAQ and find my own way for a bit. We've come a long way in that sense, and we continue to strive to improve.

That being said, we are an online church with hundreds that arrive here monthly. Let's compare that to an actual church. If I were to walk into a Catholic church for the first time on Sunday, I may or may not be greeted by six people. I might not be greeted by anyone. I would take a seat in the pews and hopefully get to know someone sitting near me. The point is, it would be on me to introduce myself and make my presence known. I would need to ask the questions I have, not wait for someone to ask me. This might not be the most compassionate way to welcome new members to a Catholic church, but it is the reality I have experienced at many of them. Here at TOTJO we are trying to be better.

Now consider that we are a worldwide organization of Jedi speaking many languages, from varying cultures, with a huge variety of baggage that we each bring with us. Some come in like a wrecking ball and others are very quiet. We do our best to accommodate both, but the loud ones tend to require more of our attention. It is disappointing that we have failed some new members and I am not here to make excuses. I simply ask for your patience as we try to make a spiritual home that is welcoming to everyone.

As Jedi, we are to be compassionate and helpful, but we also walk our own paths with self determination and courage. Use this opportunity to help us make this place better. Join our ranks and give us ideas. Welcome newcomers you see who post an introduction. Be the change you want to see and we will notice.

My PM is open to anyone who ever feels in the dark or left out. I will tell you everything I can share and I will be honest about it.

Yea....I stopped responding to Introductory Threads because nearly 80% of those new members don't even stick around for the first or three days.

Its a hard balance but with communication and trial/error im sure we will find solutions!

Trisskar wrote: Yea....I stopped responding to Introductory Threads because nearly 80% of those new members don't even stick around for the first or three days.

99% arent here after six months - three months even.
Chicken-or-egg conundrum? Maybe, but I think people tend to go where they want to be, those who want to be here will stay and those who dont, wont.

OB1Shinobi wrote:
Same. 98% of you wont be here in six months. Maybe retention would be higher if more people converged on new members. Chicken or egg conundrum? Lets talk about it after youve been here for a year or so and seen how many people come through.

You won't know unless you try. Even if people don't stick around, I refuse to believe that putting time and effort into people who are interested in this church would be anything but beneficial. We need to show people that we care, for the sake of caring.

Nami wrote:

OB1Shinobi wrote:
Same. 98% of you wont be here in six months. Maybe retention would be higher if more people converged on new members. Chicken or egg conundrum? Lets talk about it after youve been here for a year or so and seen how many people come through.

You won't know unless you try. Even if people don't stick around, I refuse to believe that putting time and effort into people who are interested in this church would be anything but beneficial. We need to show people that we care, for the sake of caring.

Agreed. I find those you put time into, the ones you greet and help in those first few days stick around. If not for Avalonslight, for example, I would not have stuck around for long after joining... and well, now look at me.

It is simply good etiquette to greet new people. This is a small thing that I do to make people feel welcome. I greet every person who posts in the introduction thread since I returned from my overseas deployments. It does not take very long to write a simple hello, and I get tells from people with questions, probably because I am one of the few Knights who do greet new people coming in the door.

The newcomers, guests are getting a lot more attention that it used to be. It has gotten better. It could always be better. But as has been said, this is our own Journey, our own Path and we must take ownership of it. If you need aid, have questions, never wait for the answer to come to you. It may or may not. Seek it out. Ask any of us, Knights, Apprentices, Novices, Initiates, members, Guests, wisdom and insight may be gleaned from any rank.

Send any of us a PM, ask in the forums, start a topic, we are all here to help each other grow.

Karn wrote: It is simply good etiquette to greet new people. This is a small thing that I do to make people feel welcome. I greet every person who posts in the introduction thread since I returned from my overseas deployments. It does not take very long to write a simple hello, and I get tells from people with questions, probably because I am one of the few Knights who do greet new people coming in the door.

The newcomers, guests are getting a lot more attention that it used to be. It has gotten better. It could always be better. But as has been said, this is our own Journey, our own Path and we must take ownership of it. If you need aid, have questions, never wait for the answer to come to you. It may or may not. Seek it out. Ask any of us, Knights, Apprentices, Novices, Initiates, members, Guests, wisdom and insight may be gleaned from any rank.

Send any of us a PM, ask in the forums, start a topic, we are all here to help each other grow.

Keep in mind every couple days the welcoming party sends pls to every member who registered in the previous couple days as well.

Look at my journal though I made like 3 posts then disappeared for 12 months due to life and now look at me im ole Kobos that one a-hole

I think it's just easy for long standing members to get bored of the tedium in greeting new members that don't stick around. I know many times I would feel like im just copy and pasting "Welcome!!" twenty or so times and the personal feel of it gets lost. I always prefered to greet them in chat and during discussions where it had a more personal and interactive feel to it and less...copy/paste.

It's easy to forget that while it's tedious for those that's been here longer.....it is still new to the new guys

Trisskar wrote: I think it's just easy for long standing members to get bored of the tedium in greeting new members that don't stick around. I know many times I would feel like im just copy and pasting "Welcome!!" twenty or so times and the personal feel of it gets lost. I always prefered to greet them in chat and during discussions where it had a more personal and interactive feel to it and less...copy/paste.

It's easy to forget that while it's tedious for those that's been here longer.....it is still new to the new guys

I took a few weeks from account creation before I actually started being a more regular user here...part of that was in the generic responses of "Hi, welcome, check out the FAQ and IP, and ask if you have any questions..."

Like...YA...I have questions...I wouldn't be here if I didn't...problem was I had no idea what questions to even ask...so had to poke around.

It DOES NOT help though when the intro post (probably mine included) is somewhat generic itself with little insight into who the person is.

When I read posts where people actually tell a little about themselves, I find things that I can understand or relate to, and like to point those out...but not everyone offers that much up front...

Take the recent post from the "Barbarian"...THAT was an intro post! I have little question at all about who he is or what he is about, and I like that.

Maybe have some sort or "primer" for what people should/need to cover in an intro post so we can get a tad more to relate to in breaking up the monotony of "Hi I'm new here" -- "Welcome, hope you find what you are looking for" type of come-and-goes...

My general guess is that by the time someone has figured out that they should, and where to properly post an intro, they have already cruised the site a bit and decided to make their presence known...that first post is them reaching out and saying "I'm here, and have decided to be here, now what?"

Almost like car sales...if people are on the lot looking at cars, its not just cause they were bored that day and wanted to go see how many colors you had...its because they have done a little research, more or less narrowed down their preferences, and are financially ready to commit to buying a car...you just have to let them test drive it and pick exactly which one they want...

We aren't selling things here...some people may just come to shop ideas...but for those posting in the intro forum at all, I'm thinking they are ready for a test drive...they just need some keys...