they join as opposed to, say, a weekly hello listing everyone.
Here's my answer(s)
1. I have been in customer-service oriented jobs all of my
life. "Seven-second-service" was always my motto. That's hard to
break.
2. When a new person joins, they don't *REALLY* know what they're
getting themselves into. I want them to know that we care about
*EVERY* member - that we are not a clique.
3. I want them to know that the List Mom is alive and breathing -
that I am involved in the group, and I am accessable, should they
want/need to contact me. It also lets them know that I pay attention to what is
going on in the list.
4. I find that by welcoming new members *BY NAME*, when possible,
you get more of a response when asking for an introduction. It's
not just a form letter. I *REALLY DO* want to know about the
members, here.
5. It is unfortunate there has to be a number five. When I welcome
new members, it lets them know, if they are *NOT* here for the right
reasons, I am watching them. They figure out in a hurry, there will
not be an opportunity to post inappropriate posts for this group,
and move on. I just hope by doing this, I do not scare off some
legitimate members, who are sitting back and waiting to introduce
themselves to the list.
6. I feel that new members *ACTUALLY DO* feel welcome, when they
are treated like this.
7. Maybe they just joined to "Check out the group for a while". If
they are ignored, they may un-sub, and go on their merry way.
Contacting them right off, has helped some people stay a little
longer to see if this group is for them. I know this has occurred,
because some members have e-mailed me telling me they stayed and
gave this group a longer "Test Drive" *JUST BECAUSE* of the
immediate response and welcoming from everyone.
There's my answer, in a nutshell.
Linda, in Seattle - the List Mom :)