How welcoming are your members to newbies?

How welcoming are your members to newbies? Do they say hello or welcome in the newcomer’s welcome thread? Do they reach out on their profiles to say Greetings or something else? Or do they mostly stick to talking to the people they know on the forum?

Not welcoming enough.

I think many forum owners lack onboarding skills.

We need to be more welcoming to mitigate lurker mentality.

When I join a board, I tend to want to return when members and staff take a few seconds to welcome me. If they don’t, I wonder how they feel about that community.

On Oct 15, 2026, Kathy said:

When I join a board, I tend to want to return when members and staff take a few seconds to welcome me. If they don’t, I wonder how they feel about that community.

As a forum owner, I’d be upset if any staff member didn’t reply and welcome a new member.

I feel like that is an unofficial duty every moderator should understand.