A Simple "About Bitcointalk" Page for New Users and Visitors

[promise444c5]

Another thing I could think of is adding a quick link "Guide" to the right side of the 'Home, Help, Search...' navs section, specifically just below the search button. This 'Guide/Newbie Guide' quick navigation could lead directly to a thread containing all that a newbie needs to know (including all important pinned threads url with details attached). A user or a moderator could create such a thread, but it wouldn't necessarily need to be pinned, just locked IMHO..

[Churchillvv]

Another thing I could think of is adding a quick link "Guide" to the right side of the 'Home, Help, Search...' navs section, specifically just below the search button. This 'Guide/Newbie Guide' quick navigation could lead directly to a thread containing all that a newbie needs to know (including all important pinned threads with details attached). A user or a moderator could create such a thread, but it wouldn't necessarily need to be pinned, just locked IMHO..

Your idea isn't bad either but I think that will be much better if there is just an additional page in the HELP section that redirects people to a particular thread.

Firstly, can't we live without asking AI for it's opinion? because why use AI to generate a sample of the Page you suggested?

In the same way, you can say that today's newcomers, on the contrary, are very active users of AI. Only, therefore, if they are interested in finding out what our forum is, the first tool they will use will be AI. I think that AI will tell them everything that interests them, and they will also bring this interesting information with them, not forgetting to share it with all of us.

You can say that again, however the forum is such a humanitarian community that only values raw or individual opinion yet the new comers, or even the already existing members of the forum seem to be falas of AI. Not to blame anyone but why make use of the brain you got when AI can think for you? lol
If AI can tell all newcomers interesting informations about the forum then OPs idea is no longer needed because it's already available.

[Alone055]

It was then I realized why some newbies ask questions as; “I am new here, how do I grow”, “What is this forum about”, “Can I shill my project here”, “how do I earn merits” some don’t even ask and goes on posting links in different boards. I know some of the questions are daft but you will likely be in such a mess if you find yourself in a forum you don’t know its little background and current purpose.

Don't you think you're contradicting yourself here?:

So, I think it’s worth considering adding a simple "About" page to the forum.
Something brief that covers:

• Who created Bitcointalk
• Why it was created
• How the forum evolved
• What it is today (Bitcoin history archive, active crypto community)

You say that you realized why newbies ask questions about how they can grow, how they can earn merits, and whether or not they can shill projects or post links to their channels or whatever, but then you went on and suggested other stuff to be added in the "About" page, but not a single answer for the questions or concerned you mentioned first, which you said were the reason why you made this suggestion.

Also, you didn't even ask ChatGPT to add anything a newbie might need to know, initially being a total noob within a forum:

I asked chatgpt to draft me a short about page for bitcointalk, including a little bit of its background : its history, its current purpose. If necessary it can include that the famous 10,000 BTC pizza transaction happened in the form. The famous HODL thread and more.

So, I can't help but wonder, why does a newbie, looking for answers to questions such as, "How can I earn merit?" or "How will my rank increase?" need to know about the background of the forum? Or about historical posts and famous incidents that were discussed here? Or why would they need to find out how the forum evolved for them to understand how the forum works in the first place?

The point is, these things are important, no doubt about that, but if we are to create an "About" page or a "Welcome" message for newbies, especially after realizing how newbies feel lost when they join a new place, that page or message should contain basic information about the forum, such as the rules, about merits, ranks, and their requirements, how a newbie should behave, and other stuff that can fit in this category. The things you are talking about or have mentioned can be optional, and added at the end of the page for knowledge purposes if anyone finds them interesting and wants to read them.

And, everything that I've mentioned could be added in the "About" page or "Welcome" message, we have threads and guides for each one, and they could be added there for newbies to read.

[Cricktor]

I'm skeptical if newbies or guests would even read something like an "About Bitcointalk" page when a lot of people have a rather limited attention scope for whatever reasons. Yes, I'm lumping many together, rather unconditionally putting most in the same category. You can blame me for that, it's just perceived experience from B&H and some other places at Bitcointalk.

Fortunately not every newbie posts something like "I'm new here please spoon-feed me (and hidden: because I'm such a lazy dumbass to miss the sticky threads that would be worth to take time to read)". But some do kinda like what I'm exaggerating here a bit, am I?

I get it, well sometimes not, and shouldn't rant about folks who might not be familiar with a forum, don't take the time to explore, to read and use their wet brain. Arrogant, silly me...

[NotATether]

Yeah we pretty much already have this, but it's in the HELP section as mentioned by the previous replies, and also we have a Bitcoin Wiki that had plenty of information on Bitcointalk so it's not like there isn't a lack of info surrounding it.

[DYING_S0UL]

Yeah we pretty much already have this, but it's in the HELP section as mentioned by the previous replies, and also we have a Bitcoin Wiki that had plenty of information on Bitcointalk so it's not like there isn't a lack of info surrounding it.

We may do but what percentage of new users actually surfs to those pages and boards? What do you think? At the end of the day we'll just see newbies posting in the beginners section, they dont care to read those posts. So a welcome message would certainly would be helpful when new user registers (even if it gets skipped by the user) since not all would skip it.

[Smartvirus]

Yeah we pretty much already have this, but it's in the HELP section as mentioned by the previous replies, and also we have a Bitcoin Wiki that had plenty of information on Bitcointalk so it's not like there isn't a lack of info surrounding it.

Yeah, these things do exists but the presentation to new accounts is what really doesn’t happen although, we many at times find these new accounts to know just how to navigate the forum and you wonder how, if they’ve been around as a guest or more. We only get complaints a few times when they get their threads deleted or when they make some of those generic “I’m new here” thread and the responses is not what they hoped for.

[Rockstarguy]

~snip

Yeah It's a fine idea but the problem is people especially newcomers would be too busy looking for the skip button to that page. People hardly  read startup and welcome pages they just skip. You can even tell by the number of times they eventually click the agree button during registration for rules and regulation without reading them or agree to wrong permissions on their device to an app , just because they want to be done with the startup process in a jiffy.

The truth is that even if the forum has a welcome page for beginners, the majority of beginners visiting the forum for the first time will skip the welcome page. However, thanks to the beginners and help board, it is still useful for some categories of beginners who are fond of skipping the welcome page. If they are confused about what to do and what the forum is all about, they will find their way to the beginners and help board to gain a proper understanding of what the forum is all about.

Every now and then newbies ask questions that literally most of the pinned threads on the forum answers and it's as time goes on they resort to reading more often. If it were ever implemented It would be more ethical and organic to have it written by a member with good English here.

People find it difficult to read, and they just want to do things so fast. But I think it would be nice if every new account weren't allowed to access any board until they first read and went through the pinned thread in the beginner and help sections. Clicking on the threads in the beginner and help sections will give beginners proper access to the forum. I think it will reduce repeated questions by newbies in the forum.

[Hazink]

Yeah, these things do exists but the presentation to new accounts is what really doesn’t happen although, we many at times find these new accounts to know just how to navigate the forum and you wonder how, if they’ve been around as a guest or more. We only get complaints a few times when they get their threads deleted or when they make some of those generic “I’m new here” thread and the responses is not what they hoped for.

Since there are also other forums out there which some of the newbies might already be used to and familiar with, it could be that their experience from there has made it easier to know their way around when they are here.

There are some newbies that appear very informative, but at the same time they might lack a few knowledge, which with time they will adapt to and can easily be noticed and differentiated from someone who has been here before and the one who is entirely new to the forum.

[isaac_clarke22]

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Meh..it's not really that intimidating for new users. Back in 2017 when I first started, each board sections have pretty much straightforward description (i.e Meta - everything related to this forum). I understand your inputs though.

Those people and events that became notable histories in Bitcoin aren't really what people would like search up the whole internet just to find those. HODL meme was memorable for me, but not something that I would actively look around in the internet. When I saw that thread in here, it's just one of those "Oh wow, welp anyways..." moment for me.

LoyceV has a great suggestion in one of the earlier replies and that's what at least I'll need as a newbie when upon registration in a forum. I've been to other non-Bitcoin forum and I don't think I would like a whole page being showed to me if I only wanted to know about specific stuffs. Just like others mentioned, I would most likely just skip it and continue looking for what I wanted to look up.

[Stablexcoin]

In as much as the idea sounds convincing, I still think creating an about page wont be necessary. It will make the forum look like any other website out there. If a newbies want to learn they should surf the forum, learning with experience and conversations, that is how they grow. A simple about us page wont teach them how the entire forum works. And as for researchers, I see no reason why they call them researchers if they wont dig and find things out themselves or perhaps ask their usual questions.

Another thing, the forum is broad, the work to combine a comprehensive summary of the forum will be every difficult, do you think new users will enjoy reading a full book before getting to surf around the forum?

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

Even to an extent, if everything is being made available right on the main menu at the home page, some will still have the excuse of complaining being unaware of the common necessities they are expected to know and do while on this forum, moreover, the rules are there, the pinned threads should also serve as the first contact of any user on this forum because they are on the top of each page before any other thread is being mentioned.