After a person creates an account, a page is brought up that shows links to a Halfbakery: Newbie Category, the Help page, Krelnik's Halfbakery FAQ, and other pages of that sort.

If newbies have any questions, they could post them in this category. After one day, it would delete itself. For example: I was very confused about the user's use of the HBGC. After a little bit of searching, I found out what it was. But a newbie may not know what to do in that kind of situation. Do you blindly e-mail a halfbaker? Do you annotate an irrelevant question on a good idea? When they post in this category, they aren't wasting idea space and there are no more confused newbies.

And for those who think that this is unnecessary:

//And quoting [jutta]'s annotation on Halfbaked Prophecies:

"That the halfbakery has a category for something doesn't mean that that thing is welcome; just that it exists in such abundance that it could be conveniently grouped. Personally, I have a very low tolerance for most of the social, self-referential chatter in Halfbakery:.
-- jutta, Sep 13 2002"//
-- ghillie, Oct 10 2003

Krelnik's halfbakery FAQ http://krelnik.home...g.com/half_faq.html
[krelnik, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Other People's Views http://www.halfbake...0People_27s_20Views
Like krelnik said [ghillie, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

The Imperfect Idea http://www.halfbake..._20imperfect_20idea
like krelnik said [ghillie, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Halfbakery Ettiquette Guide http://www.halfbake...20etiquette_20guide
like krelnik said [ghillie, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

The Help File http://www.halfbake...a/The_20Help_20File
believe it or not, like krelnik said [ghillie, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Baketionary http://www.halfbake...om/idea/Baketionary
One of my first posts, very critiziced but the need of something like it keeps coming up. [Pericles, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

I don't think its bad to annotate an off-topic question on an idea. Such side threads are easily deleted later either by you or the idea author.

Just FYI, there are a number of ideas scattered in the halfbakery category that are collecting points for good advice, among them "The Help File", "Halfbakery Etiquette Guide," "the imperfect idea," and "Other People's Views".
-- krelnik, Oct 10 2003


But a newbie wouldn't know where to look for those kind of links. Or maybe they're too shy to post. I was thinking the category would be shown when you first sign up, or on the help page. Or on the side bar.
-- ghillie, Oct 10 2003


Yes it is true that the good advice and answers are scattered about and sometimes difficult to locate. That was one reason I wrote my "newbie guide", but thats only about writing ideas. There are links within it to many of the ideas I mention above, however.
-- krelnik, Oct 10 2003


The only way to learn is the hard way. Make a fool of yourself, throw a tantrum, calm down, come back wiser.
-- lubbit, Oct 10 2003


The HBGC was just an example. I can see why you wouldn't want to explain it. But this would be a category for any kind of question that a newbie would ask. After they ask it, it is promptly deleted. This way, we're not 'giving away our being special' because the only people who would know are the one's who would ask. We wouldn't be explaining everything to everyone.
-- ghillie, Oct 10 2003


Personally, I found the answers to these types of "insider" questions by observation.

If you're less patient than me (highly unlikely) or more interested in the "insider" stuff (quite possible), you could e-mail one of the regulars that has an address posted. Or you could just post the question on an annotation when such a topic crops up.

You already figured out the answer for yourself.
-- half, Oct 10 2003


Weird public rituals... hey now there's something I want to see more of.
-- RayfordSteele, Oct 10 2003


[half] Newbies may be a bit shy to e-mail a professional half-baker.
-- ghillie, Oct 10 2003


'What kind of newbie question?', you may ask? Well, how about this:

I just broke rule 13 (krelnik's halfbakery FAQ). Not only that, but I have five negative votes. Should I delete the idea, or just go with the flow?
-- ghillie, Oct 10 2003


"Newbies may be a bit shy to e-mail a professional half-baker"

Hmm...who were you thinking would be answering these questions? Come to think of it, you never really said that these questions would be answered...
-- half, Oct 10 2003


whats a professional halfbaker?

don't ask 2/1. he doesn't know his woble from his ssastar!
-- po, Oct 10 2003


[fogfreak] I was thinking that it would work something like that. Or it would appear on the help page, or side bar.
-- ghillie, Oct 11 2003


// Newbies may be a bit shy to e-mail a professional half-baker //

Well what can you do about that... the avenue's there. If they want to use it, they can.

I'd suggest you worry about it less and just go with the flow.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 11 2003


//a professional halfbaker// - just mail me any questions, with a fifty-dollar note, and I'll be happy to give guidance!
-- DrCurry, Oct 12 2003


guidance, as to who to go see? (sorry, the door was open)
-- RayfordSteele, Oct 12 2003


+ Well, I think this is a good idea, relatively speaking. It’s certainly more useful and appropriate to the site than the song categories. Not that I have anything against poetry and songs, you understand, but it seems a rather oddball thing to have in this place which is so adamantly about invention that it even gives perfectly good theories the boot.
Why songs? I ask.
Hey, take that to the questions section, you damn newbie.

-- pluterday, Oct 13 2003


I find the term “Newbie” to be offensive and derogatory, and would prefer to be referred to as a Neophyte-American. </jest>
-- Laughs Last, Oct 13 2003


what a *good* idea!
-- po, Oct 13 2003


[UB]: Who's worse: the ones who are curious, or the ones who are instilling the curiosity?
-- ghillie, Oct 13 2003


Sorry, what I meant was that you didn't seem like you wanted to help out with any new 'bakers. And I didn't think you guys would like 'senior halfbakers' as much as 'professional halfbakers'.
-- ghillie, Oct 14 2003


A new HB tag-line came to mind after reading the fishbone replys to ghillie's newbie category idea. "Halfbakery: Home of the electric apron strings".
-- jackottabox, Oct 14 2003


I think that a "newbie" category where newbies can ask questions is a good idea.

I'm a newbie, so I know what a newbie would want.

Inventive people are also curious people. They want to ask questions.

If you give people a place to ask questions, they are much more likely to do it. They are also much more likely to stick around.

I read the "Help" file. The "Help" file is excellent. But it doesn't answer all of my questions.
-- robinism, Jun 19 2004


Ask away. Right here.
-- bristolz, Jun 19 2004


Thank you. My question was, what is the history of this website? But since then, I read the "News," and it answered my history questions.
-- robinism, Jun 19 2004


Another newbie question. I read in the "Help" and other places that certain behaviors will meet with harsh, rude, disapproval from oldtimers. But the old timers I see active now are not harsh or rude. They are gentle and courteous. They do seem a little tired though.
Then I see names of the erstwhile enforcers, who are now off the scene. They were harsh, and now they're gone. I guess that the remaining members are sad because they miss the old enforcers, and are a bit lost without the structure and familiarity that the old enforcers provided....?
So the tentative conclusion I come to is that, aside from jutta's own rules, the "rules" are fluid. Some of the old standards were actually created and enforced by people who are now gone. Am I right?
-- robinism, Jun 22 2004


That's a pretty fair assessment, [robinism].
-- krelnik, Jun 22 2004



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