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An search on "low quality posts" generates a plethora of discussions on how to handle and manage low quality posts. An search in regard to "first posts" indicates that most effort has been focused on how to remedy the problem after the post has been made. The present system of inducting new members to essentials/expectations of this very unique forum involves introductory pages and prompts that has evidently left us wanting. Having experienced the present system as a new user and participated in it as an editor, I think that there is a better way.

A search on "low quality posts" generates a plethora of discussions on how to handle and manage low quality posts. A search in regard to "first posts" indicates that most effort has been focused on how to remedy the problem after the post has been made. The present system of inducting new members to essentials/expectations of this very unique forum involves introductory pages and prompts that has evidently left us wanting. Having experienced the present system as a new user and participated in it as an editor, I think that there is a better way.

Use of the word triage reflects an overwhelming sense that there are too many poor quality posts coming through and there are not enough qualified folks to doctor them all; metaphorically, in effort to save as many lives as possible, quick assessment is made of the degree of urgency; in the process other lives that might be saved are lost and limbs that may have been doctored are amputated. What if we were able to back up from the crisis and consider ways to avoid the problem instead?

Use of the word triage reflects an overwhelming sense that there are too many poor quality posts coming through and there are not enough qualified folks to doctor them all. What if we were able to back up from the crisis and consider ways to avoid the problem instead?

An entry into the question box of "low quality posts" generates a plethora of discussions on how to handle and manage low quality posts. An entry in regard to "first posts" indicates that most effort has been focused on how to remedy the problem after the post has been made. The present system of inducting new members to essentials/expectations of this very unique forum involves introductory pages and prompts and has evidently left us wanting. Having experienced the present system as a new user and participated in it as an editor, I think that there is a better way.

I suggest that first posts be not only prompted, but guided step by step in such a way that all the SE essentials are expected of the user in order to progress to the next step. It is easy to read through a page of site standards, then get enveloped in the Q&A and forget/neglect the standards. Learning is much more effective when practiced immediately or acquired in the process. In this way, new users know they are interacting with an established system of expectations and standards and choose to either comply or they simply do not progress.

Low quality posts we frequently encounter on BH-SE that may be shared by other sites are:

It may be that there are not enough shared reasons for low quality posts for this to work on a system level. I have observed however, that within the general format/structure that all SE sites share, there seems to be room for each to enter their own site specific prompts and bullets. Perhaps a step in a step by step progression through first posts could be programmed into the whole system in such a way that the individual prompts for each step could be tailored by each site, or even so that each site could opt in or out of the procedure.

Use of the word triage reflects an overwhelming sense that there are too many poor quality posts coming through and there are not enough qualified folks to doctor them all; metaphorically, in effort to save as many lives as possible, quick assessment is made of the degree of urgency; in the process other lives that might be saved are lost and limbs that may have been doctored are amputated. What if we were able to back up from the crisis and consider ways to avoid the problem instead?

An search on "low quality posts" generates a plethora of discussions on how to handle and manage low quality posts. An search in regard to "first posts" indicates that most effort has been focused on how to remedy the problem after the post has been made. The present system of inducting new members to essentials/expectations of this very unique forum involves introductory pages and prompts that has evidently left us wanting. Having experienced the present system as a new user and participated in it as an editor, I think that there is a better way.

I suggest that first posts be not only prompted, but guided step by step in such a way that all the SE essentials are expected of the user in order to progress to the next step. It is easy to read through a page of site standards, then get enveloped in the Q&A and forget/neglect the standards. Learning is much more effective when practiced immediately or acquired in the process. In this way, new users know they are interacting with an established system of expectations and standards and choose to either comply or they simply do not progress.

Low quality posts we frequently encounter on BH-SE that other sites may share in common:

It may be that there are not enough shared reasons for low quality posts to make this work on a system level. I have observed however, that within the general format/structure that all SE sites share, there seems to be room for each to enter their own site specific prompts and bullets. Perhaps a step by step progression through first posts could be programmed into the whole system in such a way that the individual prompts for each step could be tailored by each site, or even so that each site could opt in or out of the procedure.