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.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

wait, was that the actual title of a discussion?  if so that it just awesome!! 

[Julie and Charlie]

maybe, I haven't searched (!)... but I find that humor and grace always seems to help things along.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, but it should be!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I love this. I've seen so many posts from people saying their dog is bothering their child when really it's just the other way around.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

oh I like that one about Considering a Doodle

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Me, too. I'd be willing to contribute to that.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we teach our "newbies" to search, the way I've found to be the best is to go right to Google and type in the subject AND Doodle Kisses.  For example, housebreaking and Doodle Kisses.  I always get the prior posts on the subject quickly using this method.  It seems like lots of our newer folks struggle with how to search effectively.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Now that's interesting Jane. I've usually googled when I'm looking for something that's been eliminated on DK. Google still has the old posts.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I didn't know you could do that.  Interesting.  Could you try using Bing though instead of google?  I work for Microsoft now so you would be helping to keep me employed  ;)  lol

[Theresa & Duncan]

Jane - this is incredibly helpful!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Maybe each of the administrators for the major groups could put together a "new Doodle orientation" that would pertain to most common questions/concerns.  We could organize it so that the prior postings on key subjects were "catalogued" with the appropriate links.

[Pam & Trixie]

I agree on the search function...I have a terrible time with it. I always search before I post a question...When I get 1000-4000 hits...I cant find the answer to what I really need unless I had days to go through them all...Often lots of pictures even come up...Like when I was searching about Trixies Broken tooth.

I did eventually find a DK post about a broken mollar on 'G'