How Can We Better Help New Members?

[Adina P]

As we get ready to implement a new series of welcoming and informative emails to new members to help guide them once they join, I'd like your input on a few things:

-- What do new members need to know?

-- What do they need to know first...what's most important?

-- What do they need to know next...and after that?

Mainly I want to get your feedback on what is most critical for new members to learn and what is important for them to learn over a period of time as they settle into DK membership.  We want to ensure they feel welcome, now how to navigate, can find answers to common questions, etc.

When we're done, anyone who wants to get what new members get will be able to sign up for the emails.

[Bonnie and Kona]

One thing I might suggest is using as few words as possible. At work I learned people rarely read all of the content. Keep it short. The FAQ might allow fewer words for your email to new members.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"What do they need to know first...what's most important?"

Read the Guidelines and "How to" Section - everything under the Help tab- before plunging right in and posting discussions. PLEASE!!!

Particularly the parts about finding a breeder, posting photos, not recommending breeders in the forum, and the difference betwen a blog and a discussion.

"What do they need to know next?"

That  just about any question they might have has already been asked, answered, and discussed at least twenty times. Look around, get the lay of the land, learn how to do a search, and then do one.

"...and after that?"

That we have groups, and that the answers to their questions about grooming, food, health issues, where to find a good groomer in such-and-such city, how to stop your puppy from chewing, etc. will probably  be best answered there rather than in the general forum.

That discussions within groups will not come up in searches of the discussion forum, you have to search within the group.

That if you want to post a cute photo of your dog, you shouldn't do it as a discussion, lol.

That if you ask for people's opinions and/or advice in a public forum, you might get opinions and advice you don't like.

I'm sure I'll think of some more, lol.

 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

What she said :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

But discussions in a group do come up in a general search but you do get a lot of extra items to wade through. The last two items are terrific?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

So maybe what we need is a big flashing neon arrow on the main page pointing to the HELP tab that says "START HERE"!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I find that there are lots of discussions on the same topic. I search but what I usually find is a ton of discussions where the word is used which isn't necessarily the topic of the discussion. Is  there a possibility that search will actually search on TAGS to find what we are looking for. that will help newbies and oldies find the topics and information needed

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Adrianne, you get much better (and narrower) search results if you search within a particular forum or group than if you just use the general "Search Doodlekisses" search box.

[Adina P]

Not everyone tags their stuff or tags them with useful words that others would search for.  When I do a search and get a million results I look at the title of the discussion to see if it is relevant and worth looking at.

[Theresa & Duncan]

Could I ask a stupid question about tagging? I feel like I should know this, but to tag do you simply enter in key words one after another in the tag box? Should they be separated by a comma? The only other place I tag is Instagram, and there you have to use a "#". I don't think that's the case with DK :).

[F, Calla & Luca]

Not a stupid ? Just do it just as posted by Adina. No spaces or punctuation, caps etc unless she has them. No #.

[Theresa & Duncan]

Thank you!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Maybe that could be in the Search/Help/Start here tab, to "tag" your photos and say why it would be helpful.