Come Take a Look at our New Contributor Indicator!

After living with the indicator for a while, I think that it is a good feature, but it needs refinement.

1. It's too intrusive. A friendly waving hand and "New Contributor" label on the user badge should be enough.

2. We are expected to be nice to everyone, so the CoC link is off-putting and detracts from what I think the real purpose of the "New Contributor" label should be—letting the community know that someone who hasn't participated here before has taken the plunge and might be feeling a little unsure of how they will be received.

3. The indicator should take into account the first visible post on either the main site or the site's meta - the goal should be to try to highlight people who are new to the community.

4. We may want to make the algorithm a little more sophisticated and maybe take into account how long someone has been visiting the community before they posted. If I've been lurking for a year and just now had a reason to post, maybe I don't need the "new contributor" label. Maybe I get a "emerged from the shadows" label instead ;)

I think that viewing the "new contributor" indicator as a warning that we have to treat that user extra special nice is not the right perspective. We should be thinking of this like a new team member at work being shown around and introduced to everyone. Say hello, give them a tip about how things work around here, and maybe say you're happy they're on board. In short, make them feel welcomed and optimistic that being part of the community is going to be pleasant.

It is hard for some of us to walk into a room full of strangers who already know each other. Even if no-one is overtly a jerk to us, if everyone ignores us, or just talks to us to tell us that we pinned our nametag on the wrong side, it's not an experience we would look forward to repeating.

Generally, I have agreed with the approach being used thus far towards the whole "welcoming" mantra. We should provide the same level of help to new users as to experienced users, and in my opinion that level of help should include courtesy where logical, and perhaps a cold shoulder when not. It seems to me there is a certain degree of zeal when dealing with questions across the board, and while there is definitely more ground to cover progress is being made with regards to dialing that zeal into more realistic expectations.

This feature though, I am not sure I agree with, for several reasons. Primarily, I disagree with the idea of labeling users like this. I don't think it will help, and I think it has a large potential at alienation or increasing friction in certain places.

Remember when we used to show acceptance rates? It was all fun 'n games for those who had a high rate, but, if you had a low rate... watch out. Eventually it was removed because users with low rates were being treated harshly based on the rate, regardless of the content they provided. Which, coincidentally, is the problem here: labeling users makes it about them instead of about their content.

Moreover, what about all those 1 rep users who no longer have the shiny "new user" protection banner? They are still 1 rep, and now that is almost an invitation for users who may have more zeal than most to step in and really remind them, right down to the snarkiest possible statement, what we don't like here, and how they fit into that. Not really that welcoming...

I don't really see a flip side here to be honest. The upside to this whole endeavor is that there is a reminder banner telling us to greet new users? To be honest, I think the community is welcoming, and overall the process of making sure everyone is dialing their approach into something more friendly and less jarring is working due to the diligence and outlook being provided by the team.

Let's not take a step backwards with this.

I'm...not sure about this.

There are a few reasons. Some of the voices I've heard here and elsewhere seem kind of actively hostile towards new users. And, well, at least a few users are probably going to target "new" users because... I donno, they think it's the right thing to do in some perverse way?

And if someone's post needs a fix-up, or somehow is found to be wanting, or they just need a hand with their spelling, grammar, and use of certain confusing words like "its", their reputation does not matter.

We also have the First Posts review queue.

If we're going to experiment, I'd suggest putting this as a privilege for a certain degree of reputation (especially since its purely cosmetic, and I can read someone's reputation), or, if it's not too much work, give it for getting a badge on the new user review queue, so folks who've proven to an extent that they can and do review new user posts can work.

This is an L plate (or maybe a P plate) - its letting us know that this person dosen't know as much as we do. Some people will give way cause they have an L plate. Some would have done it anyway. Some will cut infront of them cause its funny.

We don't need an L plate to help someone in whatever way we can.

As a pragmatic UX point: At least on Math.SE, the "this is a new user" banner on the answer box tends to look a lot like the dynamic "a new answer has been posted" banner, according to the part of my brain responsible for peripheral vision.

I've already lost count of how many times I've had a question open, trying to figure out a solution to it, and then suddenly "seen" that, oh, someone else thinks they've cracked it, let's check what that is -- only for it to be the new-user banner instead.

At least make sure they have different colors ...

Going with the "student driver" analogy: when an unlicensed driver borrows a car, pulls onto a highway, and causes an accident within seconds, what do you do? Do you give them a "be nice to me; I'm new" bumper sticker? Or do you get that menace off the road and enforce licensing laws that ensure people only drive in a safe and responsible manner?

The questions that would make veteran users fly into a rage if not for a hand-wave icon are not the kind of questions the site needs. Those questions already exist, with millions of duplicates. Good questions - the kind of questions that make veteran users think, "wow, that's a good question that I can't answer myself with 30 seconds of Googling; I'll be interested to see an answer from an expert in this framework so that I can learn today" - don't need the "sorry, I'm new" sign, regardless of who posted them. Wasn't that the key of SO? Content over subjectivity?

This new element just underscores the fact that this site values millions of new advertising targets new users who post garbage and will disappear as soon as their homework is done for them (until next week's homework, with a new account) over a few veterans with ad blockers long-time users who contribute to the site with their time, energy, and expertise.

I think that this signpost has the potential to help people target new users - in ways that can be good or bad. I don't know for sure how things we'll play out, and whether the good bits will outweigh the bad bits, so I don't think I can support this change, or oppose it.

• Canned comments: Good! On a couple of sites I use, we have lists of comments established site users can write to new contributors. For instance, a common one on Worldbuilding that uses magic links is

  Welcome to Worldbuilding, (Insert username)! If you have a moment, please take the [tour] and visit the [help] to learn more about the site. You may also find [meta] and The Sandbox useful. Here is a meta post on the culture and style of Worldbuilding.SE, just to help you understand our scope and methods, and how we do things here. Have fun!

  We use these . . . a lot. Ideally, on every new user. They're especially useful because we're making the Sandbox more accessible to new folks, and this sort of thing is an easy way to point them to it. Having a "New contributor" sign quickly highlights potential targets for these comments.

  Really, the big advantage of these isn't the links to the tour and help center - those can be off-putting and might be easily ignored. But canned comments linking to things like a site's Sandbox (if the question might need some fixing), or to the site's tutorial on LaTeX (if there's poorly-formatted equations involved), or to a site policy on how to write a great question specifically about the subject the user is asking about - more specific canned comments than the generic one above can be really useful. And this a way to find targets for them - although BJ's suggestion might be even more useful.

  By the way, these can be done easily using the Pro-Forma comments script (kudos to Cai for pointing this one out).

• Edits: Good! New users are often unfamiliar with tags, for instance, or code formatting, or links, or equations, and sometimes need to have these pointed out to them. Again, this is a signpost to posts that could probably use some extra editing from community members who are willing to help.

• Close and reopen votes: Bad? This is coming from a different angle, but new users often don't have a good idea of the scope of the site. This means that their questions may easily be duplicates, off-topic, or unclear. If the "New Contributor" sign is shown in the New Questions list, or on the frontpage, folks will know that the question could be close-worthy. On the flip side, the question might later be reopen-worthy if the user responds well to feedback.

  I have to wonder whether this is going to lead to people downvoting and close-voting more harshly, or if it's going to lead to people being less harsh with close votes and downvotes. The latter wouldn't be great; downvoting and close-voting is good when appropriate, not bad. So I think there's potential here, but I'm also slightly worried that it'll impact community moderation for the worse.

I will say that I wish there were ways to make the helpful links more . . . obnoxiously obvious, but places like the help center and tour aren't always visited by new users. Early posts are the best way to guarantee that they'll see them - provided we get the comments in early.

support

I just noticed that the new contributor status is tracked separately for main and meta site. This means that established users on main would still be marked "new" upon their first post on meta. Is this intentional? It raised some eyebrows on my side.

Can they dress themselves?

The user ought to be able to click on their 'newbie banner' and dismiss it if they choose. That would remove the biggest complaint we see about this change - labeling.

There is also barely enough space after "Check out our Code of Conduct." to squeeze in "See the FAQ." and have even treatment for all. People whom have been here for over a week know the user has a low reputation for whatever reason and understand that they can click on the avatar to determine if they contribute elsewhere, the new user doesn't need the reminder and a special label.

If there are things new users ought to be doing, be it the Site Tour or reading what is on topic, then a pop-up reminder just for them should be helpful enough. Persons not needing such coddling should know that their actions are subject to scrutiny.

When you introduce someone to your friends you don't say: "This is Tim, he is new, so take care in asking ..." - do you? Just treat everyone normally. An opt-out [X] might be useful.

I don't like label like this showing near my avatar. It offends me because it's implying that I require some "special" treatment.

I don't visit SO often, but have my share in adding stupid questions (and probably will have more). I don't see why pointing some things out is bad, unless it is addressed to the OP's personality, or insulting, etc. Feedback is usually useful, especially at the earlier stages of something.

Agree that this is redundant and not useful at all.

The problem you are trying to solve, is not a new user problem. It doesn't matter if you're a newb. This community, like any, has nice people and not-so-nice people. My feedback is to read BJ Myers answer and implement it for everyone, not just newbs.

Edit in response to the discussion I had below. I don't spend a lot of time caring about the rules here. I simply decided one day to contribute answers to a stack on a topic for which I have knowledge and experience. The issue with the comment flagging system is there is no point penalty. People cherish their internet points. People get upset when their answer is downvoted without a comment. People post answers as comments to avoid potential negative point impacts. In the stack I contribute to we have long time users who habitually post bad and/or mean toned comments, that I flag, that moderators deal with. The moderators have some ability to hand out disciplinary action and partial bans. I understand completely the difference between bad and unacceptable, I understand completely the potential misuse of awarding negative points for flagged comments; and I understand that I'm going to lose points when mine are flagged. This solution dances around the obvious fact that MOST of the negativity here occurrs in the comments, and impacting people's very precious point accrual is the best way to add incentive to niceness.

The ability to vote negatively on a comment would do FAR more to curb the meanness and nonsense that this silly indicator seems to seek to address. There is a voting system to promote good answers and bury bad ones. The voting system also awards internet points to the positive contributors as a reward mechanism.

The fact that users can run a muck leaving useless comments with virtually zero repercussions or negative feedback is the issue. If my opinion means anything, I'd say that comments need a downvote function that buries and disables the comment after some threshold is met and the weight should be more than -1 rep point; and should not disappear if the comment is deleted.

Far and away my biggest irritation as a contributor to a stack is the useless peanut gallery comments, that can be overly curt at times. The bulk of the "meanness" I've ever seen addressing new users comes in the form of comments; typically related to a question being off topic. If you want users to temper their tone when addressing other users, including new ones, the incentive system should include a stick on all content that's contributed; not just questions and answers.

The people answering questions are far and away the most valuable part of the stack model. There is no shortage of questions out in the ether, there is no value without answers. I've spent a lot of time answering questions on one of the stacks and at times toy with disassociating my answers and deleting the account. I don't even have words for this move to warn the question answerers to "be nice because this person is new" and the fact that my answer here includes that "new contributor" banner is inane.

You want positivity? First, let users punish bad comments. Second, remove the barriers that exist in the current bounty system to allow users to award eachother additional points for good answers.

My main comment is about the perceived problem and the criterion identifying new users:

• First, it's almost always obvious when a user is new to the site. I normally look at the reputation and that hardly ever fails to give a good indication (I can't imagine that one can get experience on the site without accumulating more than 10-30 rep)
• This was mentioned by others: age of first post is just one of many criteria. As an example, I don't really know whether I'm doing something wrong with this very post. I'm both old and inexperienced on this site. It's because of the rules and the expectations of those correctly considered as experienced. What they expect is right, I'm ignorant, although it goes without saying that feedback should be kind and constructive. But the fact is I must get educated.

And regarding the problem:

• Being a welcoming site is only one part of becoming a friendly site. Further, being told that a user is new doesn't ultimately rouse the genuine kindness this community is hungry for (and I'm not saying it's futile).
• Experienced users also have an excessive sense of belonging. This doesn't just show in interactions with new users, but also among themselves. So yes, users get unfriendly towards posts, not users; but making the site friendly takes far more than making the interaction with new users friendlier.

This is a sign that practical steps are being taken to improve the overall attitude on the site, but, even in the face of the many complexities that you've mentioned, we have a long way to go.

I would just add:

• Make a system of giving positive feedback to new users (maybe a badge after x "useful feedback acknowledgment" given by new/experienced users) - "feedback" concerning proper use of the site. In my opinion, this will increase the awareness of the need to be kind in general
• Extend this in some way to experienced users. While this is community-driven, I think that we may in fact be supposing too much that experienced users are likely to use the site correctly. Giving a modicum of "voice", probably not "power", to new users may be a way to start managing the bias. New users and experienced users jointly make this site useful.

Well, I have to say it, I'm not sure I know all the rules, so I'm practically new here.

Thanks for crating the SO "New contributor" hell.

Ever since handle "New contributors" with kid gloves became Prime Directive on SO, people keep creating new accounts daily to get everyone tiptoeing around them while flooding the community with low quality content, you have to waste your valuable time to sift through, and contributing nothing... good job.

Where I can understand why you are making this change I cannot see how it is going to help really. We already know the user is new to the site based on their rep. So having a redundant indicator is just clutter on the screen that is not needed.

I can think of a possible better use for this than simply being new to the site. Maybe have an indicator that shows the person is new to the TAG instead. For example I am not new to python and at this point have around 6k rep (Stack Overflow). However I am new to VBA so maybe my questions could have already been answered but I just didn't find what I needed before asking my questions about VBA code or I just lack the understanding of the syntax to get the job done.

As you can see maybe a notification like this could be useful for people new to a tag but at this point it is simply redundant for indicating new users.

Another possible option is to instead prevent new users from asking questions in the first place before reading How to Ask and/or Minimal, Complete, and Verifiable example. Or similar guidelines for other sites. Maybe not force the user but strongly suggest they read the guidelines before posting.

It is not really even a matter of being kind to the new user. If a post is a bad post it should still be treated as such so the "Be Nice" has no baring on how the post should be treated. With bad post we already link to stuff like "How to ask" and the "MCVE" and when a post is closed it has helpful information telling the OP why it was close.

Really reminding people to be nice to new users is something that should already be applied to all users. Being nice is the default desired behavior and not just for the new user. Actually seeing this notice makes me think its only an issue for new users but not so much for veterans.

I think this is a good feature ¹

Almost every other answer has been negative, so I'm going to add a positive note. It absolutely has changed my behavior already. I'm a 200k rep user so I've been around the block. I've written thousands of answers and no doubt just as many comments, if not more. I write answers not because I like the game of garnering rep points, but because I truly like to help people. I've been answering questions on the Internet literally decades before Stack Overflow came on the scene.

I like to think I'm a fairly responsible, conscientious contributor, but I also know that I get awfully tired of bad or low quality questions that show absolutely zero effort, and that weariness colors my responses. I tend to downvote quickly, and I suspect that some of my comments may sound off-putting to others even though I think they are reasonable in my own head.

Seeing these reminders has really helped me pause for an extra few seconds to think about what I'm about to post. Whether it's helped me make better answers or better comments, I don't yet know. What I do know, however, is that it has helped me to think a bit more before responding to a new user, and that's a good thing.

¹I think the idea is fantastic, though I think the implementation needs perhaps a bit more work. There's a lot of new stuff added where maybe just a single icon, badge, or banner might do. Still, I've enjoyed being notified when I'm answering a new user. It makes me feel good, and I think it has helped me to write a couple of better answers.

I really appreciate any new ideas that add real value to the community! But I am wondering

what's the added value of this new feature!!!

I also have two main notes:

1. The attention message in the answer section

Actually, I don't think you need to say for someone who tries to help, be nice!!

He/she comes to help so he/she is a NICE and his/her contributions should be appreciated.

So the attention message in the answer section does not show any type of respect!

2. The New contributor alert below the new user avatar

As contributors, most of us come here for helping all as much as possible in a nice and professional manner regardless of the type of user, his/her nationality, his/her religion, his/her color, etc.!!

So we don't care about the type of contributor. We care of providing a good answer in a nice manner that should help the OP to solve his/her problem regardless WHO IS HE/SHE?

That will lead to

• The new contributor will be happy because he/she found a good answer that helps him/her to solve his issue.
• He/she will come back to ask his/her new questions because he/she trusts this community!

In this case, the community achieves one of its main goal that is TRUST.

But this trust will be nil if the community does not also care about:

The contributors who provide good answers without any type of appreciation and feedback from the OP as well as the community, This makes them feel disappointed. I think this will lead to many unanswered questions and a few of new contributors!

So, I hope also the community and all contributors to take care of the good volunteers and appreciate their effort and time by providing innovative ways to encourage them to continue as well as by altering the OP with different ways to appreciate the provided answers in case it helped him/her!

If you are looking for good volunteer continuity, increase your appreciation for it,

Let's summarize the above points:

• New contributor alert is useless, we already know this info from his/her reputation!
• The attention message in the answer section is not suitable and does not show any type of respect!
• The community should think about new features that guide the new contributors how can use and appreciate any type of help!
• The community should think about new features that increase the trust.
• The community should think about new features that appreciate the volunteer's effort and time like tangible awards, please check Is there a tangible award for the Most Active Contributors in SE?

I like this, but my gut feeling says that one week is way too short. How about a larger timespan?

Also, that time span could be cut short if a certain number of posts have been made, on the theory that continued posting indicates the user is becoming increasingly familiar with the site.