[Ansteorra] tagging newcomers (was: Newbie's perspective on NMS and other things)

[Coblaith Muimnech]

Donnchadh wrote:
> One idea that was brought up was having a badge or sash that we  
> could give to newcomers.  The idea being that others would then  
> recognize that the person wearing it was a newcomer and we could  
> offer whatever help and guidance was needed.  As a newcomer, what  
> would your feelings on something like that be?

At a recent event, a newcomer commented to me that when her sister  
was hired as a freshly-minted nurse, she had to wear some sort of  
identifying doohicky (I forget what it was, exactly) at work for the  
first 6 months so everybody who saw her would at a glance understand  
that she couldn't yet be relied on to know all the rules and  
procedures, and that she felt like she needed something like that to  
wear at S.C.A. events so people would understand things needed to be  
explained to her in a way they wouldn't to someone who'd been around  
for a while.

Personally, I've always thought something like that was a good idea.   
The only coherent objection that I've ever heard is that it might  
make newcomers feel marginalized or make the shy ones uncomfortable,  
and that doesn't hold water if the only people using them are the  
ones who want to.


Coblaith Muimnech
<mailto:Coblaith at sbcglobal.net>
<http://coblaith.net>