New members, meet new friends. Welcome!

I am so confused right now. Next time I’ll use this GIF.

To avoid any potential SUPER GHEY overtones or whatever.

What game is that?

It’s from the movie How to Train Your Dragon, silly.

Oh, no wonder I haven’t seen it.

At the risk of being flamed, I think I see what Tim is saying. We joke here all the time. You go girl is an in joke. But hear me out.

If we are trying to welcome a new member, maybe we can keep in jokes to a minimum. Especially if the member might be from another country and has English as a second language. In no way shape or form did Brian do anything wrong. His post was indeed a positive one. And a welcoming one. In general.

But maybe not to a stranger who does not know our ways. Just saying. Not attacking anyone here.

Ahem, channeling my inner Brian

‘YOU GO FIX THAT RIGHT NOW’

Also, I agree, it’s a good movie.

IMO, that post was sketchy. I wouldn’t want to be welcomed like that. What kind of response did it elicit? He felt the need to clarify to you that he was a male. Hello? I mean it’s fine, because it’s already done and in the past, but for the future you really need to know that shit was sketch. Maybe get to know a new person before you hit them with your fav Star Trek gifs with the silly text.

Also, you are trying to imply something about me being fucked up about gay people, but that’s not even true.

Now it’s time for me to
image

You need to fix this shit.

I’m not sure whether to be insulted or not. Truthfully. I’ve been around here a long time, and I would hope, after over a decade being here, I’d not be known as a guy to try to offend anyone.

But hey, you make all the assumptions you want. I’m noping out. I don’t like feeling angry, and it’s irrational to feel as such after a forum conversation.

Some folks might not find in-jokes so welcoming. And if you don’t even bother to explain it in the welcome message, it’s not really going to work as a joke for a first time member, is it? The only people that will get the joke are the people who are already members. It’s just a poor strategy for a greeting in a welcome thread.

Also, I don’t think super gay is negative myself, but it doesn’t seem like a good way to welcome people for this site (as super gay as qt3 is).

I’m not saying anything about your history, personality, etc. I’m just saying that welcome post was sketchy and shouldn’t be repeated.

Are there any lessons that Scrubs cant teach us?

Also, now I have the stupid jingle stuck in my mind!

…With images of animal flirtation?!? Slippery slope!

Wait, where’s the other hand? That’s one hell of a welcome.

I usually welcome people to the Grognard thread with this orientation video:

Awww! Melted my Grognard heart!

No.

What even in hell?

He didn’t get the goofy sillness of the post, and Craig explained it and he laughed it off.

Seems to have been just fine.

I actually kind of agree with Rich. In jokes are, by their nature, exclusionary. In fact, I think they’re rude in front of another person who might be experiencing uncertainty about his or her situation with you. When you meet someone new, especially if you’re welcoming that person into your home or a new community, you shouldn’t be using the argot that he doesn’t speak.

Naturally, I’m not saying don’t make in jokes. And what played out upthread was just fine, and everyone was gracious about it. But I’m with Rich and Tim in that I think a lot of people don’t realize how socially awkward in-jokes can be for the folks who aren’t “in”, especially in person. Put yourself in that person’s shoes. For all he knows, you’re having a laugh at his expense. At the very least, you’re making him unsure how to react. Does he laugh politely, or does he risk your scorn by telling you he doesn’t understand?

-Tom, who once had dinner with THE Miss Manners. No joke.