Good idea. I've added some instructions about this to <br><a href="http://openwetware.org/wiki/OpenWetWare:Getting_started_2">http://openwetware.org/wiki/OpenWetWare:Getting_started_2</a><br>the second page of the getting started tutorial. Maybe that will encourage users to make use of talk pages.
<br><br>We can also make this a part of the new user welcome system once it comes online (if folks agree).<br><br>-Reshma<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 5/3/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Maureen Hoatlin</b> <
<a href="mailto:hoatlinm@ohsu.edu">hoatlinm@ohsu.edu</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Hi Reshma,<br>
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One addition to the welcome page we might consider is emphasizing that the user page is handy not just for saying who you are, but also because it helps intra-wiki communication. The user page messages are fun and can really speed up the learning process for the new users (it did for me!). Despite my urging, the folks I've gotten to join OWW (Kupfer and Thayer Labs) haven't set up user pages. I'm not sure what the roadblock is.
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-Maureen</span><div><span class="e" id="q_112531fc9ddfefa7_2"><br>
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On 5/2/07 12:31 PM, "Reshma Shetty" <<a href="mailto:rshetty@mit.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">rshetty@mit.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
</span></div></span></font><blockquote><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><div><span class="e" id="q_112531fc9ddfefa7_4">Following up on today's meeting, I wonder if it is worthwhile for us to go ahead and change the welcome email we send out. In my opinion, the current version is unnecessarily long and complicated.
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I put a proposal for a new version at <a href="http://openwetware.org/wiki/OpenWetWare:Welcome_email" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">http://openwetware.org/wiki/OpenWetWare:Welcome_email
</a><br>
(It also includes a copy of the current version ... which appears *very* long in email form.)<br>
<br>
I suggest this as an easy-to-implement stopgap measure until we specify and implement Julius and Vincent's new user welcome system.<br>
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What do people think?<br>
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-Reshma<br></span></div>
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