February 29, 2008
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Welcome Wagon
Whenever I visit a small town, I’m always amazed at how friendly folks are. If a new person walks into town, everyone goes out of their way to wave and say “Hello!”
We thought we’d try something similar here at Xanga: we’re calling it the Welcome Wagon. When new members join (or old members return), we add them to the Welcome Wagon until they get a few comments from friendly Xangans.
You can see a link to it from the new private page – or you can click here:
* http://www.xanga.com/Private/WelcomeWagon.aspx
To sweeten the pot, we’ve added a little credit bonus to comments from the Welcome Wagon. But actually, it’s a ton of fun just to leave comments… we’ve been having a blast here saying hello to our new members and welcoming back some of our older users.
Check it out and let us know what you think!
- Marc
Comments (134)
I think it’s a wonderful idea!!
Seems like a good idea.
This is a great idea. It’s encouraging to new people–and to returning users, as well!
I think it’s pretty cool.
Awesome…I’m off to do some welcoming!
I love checking out the different sites on here, you just made it a lot easier!
I love the idea – another great job, Xanga!
these are great initiatives, i hope they work.
Good feature, very friendly.
great idea!
this will make returning to/starting a xanga much easier for many people
How come none of them work?
-RR-
Why am I getting ads for things like “feature spotlight” and “take a survey!!!11″ in between my posts on my subscriptions list? No, wait, why am I paying for premium and getting ads? Please explain this instead of working on a welcome wagon.
sensational idea, Ive been practicing!
LOVE it!! great way to make new friends! =)
That is a great idea.
Ditto
Sounds like a good Idea……now wheres my welcome????
ooooo…i love that idea….
How very nice of you!
I love the returning users “blurb” (I’m bring Xanga back…)
Does seem like a good idea of making one feel welcome! Good job!
I like this idea! I know a while back there used to be a little box on the front page that featured people who had recently joined xanga. this seems like an expansion on that.
Cool beans.
this is so much fun. it makes me feel so connected to everyone
this is incredible
giving credit bonuses are great rewards and definitely will stimulate the community even more.. love it 
That’s a kewl idea
haha. all these newcomers are gonna be getting tons of comments because we want the credits. lolz. dat makes me feel kinda bad… buh I guess it makes ppl feel welcome also. kill two birds w/ one stone…
Let’s try this, as the xanga community is full of experiments!
really cute idea for the new members and returning members, but i agree with some other people – most of the comments will just be posted for the credits. :X
About these ads that seem to be showing up on my sub page – I think that is really annoying and hope that isn’t permanent.
how do i get on this list? i need buds, comments, and advice on how to use xanga! im a new user so i would greatly appreciate it.
This is really cool. But how do you know if someone is returning or brand new? That I don’t get.
this sounds fun
though i can see the 2x credits being abused..
yall keep comming up with great ideas!
great idea… i’ll have to check it out!
Hey, neat idea! I’ve commented on new people’s sites before anyway, telling them the best way to make friends on Xanga (comment on other peple’s sites).
i like how Xanga is such a close community
It would be nice to have a Welcome link up with your Private, Subs, Messages, Feedback, and Public links. I’ve been testing it out and I really like it.
You guys are awesome! Nice, too.. xD
And I get to see ppl’s layouts too.. ^^
Cool idea, and fun too!
another Xanga hit! this should help motivate those people who get so discouraged when no one visits them…
What a nice gesture.
good!
i like that!
Welcome Wagons’ looking good!,
Another great way to bring the community together : ).
Wonderous way to get people to be outgoing and meet new friends.
Let people feel welcomed and know that their are tons of people out their willing to help em figure out xanga : D
I hope the newcomers won’t be overwhelmed by the comments and eprops overload. Everyone is doing it for the credits. So this kind of cheapens the experience of interacting with other xangans with no strings attached. But that’s just what I think.
This is a good idea, It will be interesting to see how people will react.
I really like the Welcome Wagon! I’m hoping to make greeting a few newbies as part of my regular Xanga routine. (sounds like that “regular part of a healthy diet’ line)
Its a great idea BUT in practice its ridiculous. I looked at the first two pages of my WelcomeWagon and saw that of the thirty sites, the majority were owned by just three people as is obvious from a) the names, and b) the first blog being identical. Now if there was a way to weed out those people and leaving just the 9 sites that were genuine, it would be great. Otherwise, whose going to wade through crap sites to say hi to the genuine newcomers?
Les quería dar un mini – lo siento, no puedo! Ahorrar es todo…
Can they get a better choice for an entry?
HELP! Someone commented to a private message using my user name! Please HELP!
thanks,
RayRay
I am quite surprise to see so many I am bring back Xanga, who with me lately.
great idea!!
although, back in the day if we wanted comments on our brand new Xanga site, we had to walk two miles uphill both ways in the snow. Damn kids….
what’s up with all of the identical “i’m bringing xanga back” entries on the welcome wagon page?
Brilliant idea!!
It’s a really great idea by the way. The newcomes are gonna find us Xangans either supremely friendly or over-friendly. Hahaha. But the idea is just… wow. You guys just think of everything in the league of amazing.
Interesting
What a nice idea. …such givers you are, xanga team.
thats so cool
this idea rocks. when i get bored, i comment as many pages’ worth of new and returning users as i can
good job!
When I go to a small town, I get creeped out by random people being overly friendly… I expect them to ask for money or talk to me about jesus or something…
But I like this idea.
so, i have a question that i dont know if ever was explained. what exactly qualifies you as true or not?
What a great idea!!!
I really like that idea, well done!
hey!
<3gia
@mark__Twain - good question.
like the welcome wagon idea, but there seems to be a lot of spam there. ?
Brilliant! This is a great way to show that Xanga is just as interested in the little guys as they are the same old, stale stuff always being featured or stars. It levels the playing field a little. It also promotes a sense of community and shows new Xangans how things work and how friendly some of us are! Thanks for adding this!
I think the new feature will work, but it will take time.
That’s a horrible idea… if people who just joined Xanga are getting a bunch of comments that say “hello,” they will think, “Oh no, this is one of those places where a bunch of people who don’t know you will send SPAM all the time, say “hi” and ask to be friends, and you don’t even know them!”
If on the other hand they are getting legitimate, relevant, blog comments, they may be happy about it, but I doubt people will be intelligent enough to post relevant, legitim ate comments on blog posts if they find them through an area called the “weclome wagon”.
Its a great idea – but why are most of the posts the same??
It is a good idea but why do they all have the same headers?
cool except we already are getting 2 credit points everytime we comment a weblog entry
I love this idea.. A welcome greetings definitely give new user feel loved in xanga.
Well that sounds like a fun Idea but I went there and was turned off by what seemed to be a long list of spamming xangans. I mean what is up with all of those that have the same web entry? Seems fishy to me. Just saying.
it is awsome
I would rather that xanga take the ads for “finding new friends” and “ways to get 2000 credits” off my home page. I’m paying for premium and I don’t want ads!
that’s cool.
sounds like a good idea..
Cool idea!
Wonderful idea. I’d love to feel welcomed when I go to an unknown territory.
great idea!!!
You guys are too sweet. Xo.
Haha, a shameless plug for more credits. That’s okay, I’ll genuinely welcome people to Xanga.
networking!
Yeah, it’s a good idea. When I was new in Xanga, I felt alone because no one was commenting or anything but when the comments started flowing, well, I felt at home and I guess that’s how the New or returing Xangans would feel too if they started receiving comments, welcoming them in the Xanga community
Hello i am new here this is a great site when i find my way around
Well, I like it but I’ve got some complaints…
Some of the people in my list, when I click on them it says that their site has been shut down. If it is shut down, it shouldn’t be in the list.
Also, some of the sites I go to have friend lock enabled, or don’t allow you to leave comments. It’s a pain to have to go through all the bad sites.
Also, I’m not sure if this happens or not but once you comment that person’s entry, they should be removed from your list.
I hope you’ve thought about all of that and this comment wasn’t just a waste of my time.
the only reason people act like that in a small town is because theyre nosy and they want to know what you are doing in THEIR town..im from a small town so yes i do know…
When I first started Xanga, I felt alone for a while. It was not to I started commenting or people sites. I got comments back on mine.
I was not upset when i did not get a welcome message from the Xanga Team (or could have I got one and forget about it)
thats great. I’m glad yall put one up. way to go.
Great idea.
not sure what you guys are using to trigger the list, but people seem to be logging in to delete their account and it’s triggering this “im back” post, which is frustrating, and then there are some people who are apparently only testing skins and themes so they arent real bloggers…. some new filters might be a good idea…
that is definitely creative!
Welcome to Xanga newcomers and returning alike, this is the true paradise weblog community of friendly people! For the newcomers, thank you for choosing Xanga1
Like amanda_cake said, lots of the sites are shut down or whatever…
Do we get credits for the welcoming gesture?
It’s a wonderful idea to make people feel at home when they sign into Xanga and to welcome back returning users.
There should be a Xanga Mini that says “Xanga FTW.” Lol. But since there isn’t (and hopefully there will be one soon), this is another Xanga FTW.
Hey I think it’s a great idea! This will make starting a xanga sooo much easier!
I’ve tried this out. What I have generally found is sites with impenetrable interfaces and no places to leave comments, sites selling books on how to make bonsai, and sites with no content of any kind. There was one real person, and I left a comment. Another idea that sounds so good, but may not work well in practice.
good idea. encourages use of xanga, commenting and making e-friends — which could turn out to be real life friends! hehe.
Here is your expensive Mini for fixing the survey problem! Rock on, people.
I wonder what the newcomers think of this….
*waits for someone to type “awesome!”*…..oh..I didn’t have to wait too long.
That’s like that helicopter in Independence Day isn’t it…the one that was shot down in a ball of flames. Aaaaahh if only all sickly attempts at making fwiends could end that way !
hmm what an interesting idea!!
Reading new xangan’s posts and leaving individual comments was sort of fun. A lot of them seemed to not remember they even had a xanga until you guys emailed them about it.
I guess this isn’t the right location for a comment regarding the surveys, but I live in Canada and I find a great number of the surveys are only directed to people in the States and therefore I cannot enter them and get the credits for taking them. Do you have a link to Canadian surveys so that us living in Canada can get the same advantages at earning credits as those in the States?
Hey! how are you?
<3gia
This is definitely a cool idea… but pretty random at the same time.
Just tried it out ….I like it!
ohhh that’s why i want to live in a small town, and start a family there. somewhere up in illinois.
I’m actually a returning Xangan – I pretty much abandoned Xanga in November of last year, but I decided to see what was going on with my old blog, well now I am SO HAPPY I came back. Xanga is 300 times better than it was, I will once again be using this site. I would like to tell you though, the newest feature that I absolutely adore about Xanga is the fact that when you go to post your blog, it automatically saves a copy onto your clipboard – you don’t know how happy I was when I saw that happen. I like Xanga so much now, I’m thinking of going Premium because Xanga is finally worth it.
Love it!!!
I guess this rules out the job I was trying to create for myself as the official Xanga greeter ,huh?
awesome idea!!
This is an amazing idea. Fantastic!
I clicked on one of the welcome wagons and it was a prescription drug advertisement. The name of the xanga is something about “The side effects of (Insert Random Drug Name Here)”
Whatever you do don’t try and leave them a comment.
hey xanga team, did u know there is a facebook group called “Give Xanga a Chance, Again.”?
I just got invited the other day.
Thought yall might like that news.
-jeremy
it is an awesome idea. too bad that I don’t still fit for that or do I?
that’s an amzing idea!!
good call. it’s fun!
how exactly does the credits thing work?
whats up with the stars??
I’ve noticed that a lot of people are making, then deleting their new accounts. Maybe that has been resolved. I’m rather surprised that less people are commenting than expected. Thank for upping the credit value though!
great idea
WHat?-O-
You’re not kidding man! We left Staten Island 4 weeks ago, I already know my UPS man in GA on a first name basis. The teller in the bank introduced herself and shook my hand. My husband ran out of gas, and someone stopped to see if he needed help! It’s a different world.
the welcome wagon is a great Idea good luck with it.
Totally dorky idea. Totally dorky.
I seem to remember at one time, you had a link to people who had just started on Xanga. It’s nice to see it back.
Sounds pretty cool.
Cool. So have fun doing that.
Hali
i think it will be really helpful love it
great idea
I have been with xanga for 2 years…. I own a codes site. i thought i would try xanga theme to see if any of the codes that I had on my site would not work with xagna theme. if i used a layout that another person made, most of the codes worked… There is a couple things that are bugging me, what is going on with google ad that is in the left custom module. Is there away that people can use a my codes even though they are using Xanga theme
Sincerely
Stephanie
thx
Having taken me in when I posted my first blog was already a welcome treat for me. Anyway, even if there are only two who have yet subscribed to my site, I am hoping that more shall notice it and post their comments. Again, thank you for taking me into your wagon ride.
Great!!!