What Should NEW Members KNOW?

[Adina P]

I would like to come up with some more permanent pages on DK.  Pages that we can easily direct members to when they ask very commonly asked questions.  It can be specific to groups (like the Food Group, Puppy Madness, Grooming, etc) or general types of questions. 

So think about "What did you first wish you knew when you joined the site?" and "To what info do you think members need quick and easy access?"

If, for example, some of these pages work well in certain groups each group can link to those pages and the pages can in turn link back to the groups if members have further questions. 

Right now every new member gets a link to this welcome page with BASIC info on using the site: http://www.doodlekisses.com/notes/Welcome_to_Doodle_Kisses!! -- But I'd like to create more than this and have specifics about the doodle experience AND using the site...for those who want more info.

So...shout out your brilliant ideas!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Would' t that eliminate all the old comments. Or could they just be closed for future posts?

[Adina P]

the latter.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That's better.

[Adina P]

Link fixed. The exclamation part is part of the URL and it gets interpreted as just an exclamation mark.

[Adina P]

K, now it's REALLY fixed...LOL

[F, Calla & Luca]

#1 very impotant! And # 3 is true. Usually the messages are annoying but sometimes informative.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

This isn't exactly what you are asking for but as a new member I am still trying to figure out the "Give a Gift" section on My Page. If I click it I have options of what to give but most of them require "credits". How do I get credits? Is there some place that explains this? I didn't find (may have overlooked) anything in the New Members area.

Also, I see a lot of repeated discussion in the food group about what to feed the Doodles. Perhaps a page that covers "feeding" ( i.e. what to look for in a quality food, what to make sure is NOT in your doodles food, etc.) My vet gave me a printed page rating brands starting with "The Best You Can Do" all the way down to "We Warned You", Which was really helpful and something I can share with other dog people who are concerned about what to feed. I don't know that it would be appropriate to list BRANDS on this site but perhaps charactistics/ingredients could be categorized in decending order? Something that would help educate people on the importance of quality food...and maybe contain a link to the Dog Food Analysis site?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

We do keep trying to have a current updated list of recommended foods in TFG, but it keeps sinking down in the discussions list and people keep coming in and asking that same question again...."what should I feed?" without trying to read any of the info already there. This is where I think that people should be directed to do searches first, in the groups and in the main forum.
We have lots and lots of info on the importance of quality food, but people just don't want to look for it, lol, or don't know how. We have links to the dog food analysis site, the dog food project, etc., in probably twenty or thirty FG discussions, but people just don't look. I even have it in the Food Group Guidelines, which is the first thing you see when you go to the group. And the information does keep changing.
We could certainly do a page, or discussion, exactly as you suggest, but people would still have to look for it.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Right, it just doesn't seem to be getting accessed the way it is currenty presented. Perhaps another option on the top menu area after EXTRA! for Doodle Information or Caring for Your Doodle (something like that??) that could either have links to information already out there or move the information itself to a collective area covering doodle care. I see that Rachel just posted a question about shedding. This is another topic that I see coming up repeatedly and am sure the information is already out there somewhere. Coat types/shedding information might be another good one to have it's own permanent page.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, the coat-types shedding thing is the one that comes up the most, I think. And ear infections, lol.
I don't think people even look at the "Extra" section, or we wouldn't have so many "Can you recommend a breeder?" discussions started.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Maybe Adina can set it up so if the words "shedding", "breeder" or "food" (I'm sure there are others!!) are in the title of a new discussion the person just automatically gets linked into the appropriate page!! LOL!!! :)

[F, Calla & Luca]

You could have a link to those things up in the intro part of the group.