What doth make a newbie?
The term “newbie” is now in the dictionary, but we all know what it means. Not surprisingly, it is used blatantly throughout the internet, but yet surprisingly it is the subject of constant and heated debate in community forums. Since the term has become so mainstream, I have been pondering what doth make a newbie?
According to dictionary.com, newbie is “an inexperienced user of the Internet or of computers in general.” However this term now applies to anyone who is new to anything in, and outside of computers. In fact, noob is so widely used nowadays that the meaning is completely lost in redundancy.
On forums where text, avatar, and alias are the only defining characteristics, what then defines a newbie? One of the most common ways of judging a newbie from the pack is by simple post-count (or lack thereof.) Many forums use this database which shows joining date and number of posts. It does not matter how much time is spent lurking, studying, or how much prior knowledge one has; the fact is, that until post-count (contribution worthiness) reaches an acceptable level and/or date of joining exceeds some milestone, newbie status reigns. The general consensus seems to be that time-in and “enough” posts of relevant material determine the shedding of the newbie title. Another popular determination is found within the quality of posts. Seasoned users scrutinize topic headings, relevance, and levels of complaint as gauges in making their newbie assessments. It is almost certain death when a new user complains or spews destructive criticism. However, it is interesting to note that it is extremely acceptable for seasoned users to complain, go off topic and hijack posts.
The question then is, ‘how much experience is enough to lose the status of newbie?’ Lately it seems that newbie status has become less about self-deprecation (“Help! I have a newbie question”) and more about being negatively viewed by those who have long lost their own newbie label. The assumption is that newbies are less educated about the topic and/or do not understand the rules of an on-line community, and/or are only causing trouble. This view is strikingly similar to debates surrounding new immigrants and their socialization.
The newbie label has become a derogatory term more than ever before; it’s as if newbies have become parasites of the internet asking stupid (ill-researched) questions, posting the wrong kind of topic heading (“help me I’m stuck!!!”) or generally being disruptive to the community. If post-count or joining date were not displayed for all to see and to judge by, would it be as easy to pick out the newbies simply by what they type and how they type it? Would seasoned users then also be criticized for going off topic and being disruptive?
Equally, by post count and joining date we could also easily ask – what doth make an expert? Perhaps another assumption is that those with high post-counts must be more knowledgeable and serious than those with lesser counts. Sure it may be true for some, but anyone can post to the “fluff” discussion and throw in their two cents on any number of topics from “how long is your hair”, to “what do you eat for breakfast”, without gleaning any more knowledge than the truly inexperienced members. The logical assumption is that if people have been active in a community for a long time, they must be serious about the forum topic, successful in assimilation and therefore a “non-noob” user.
One popular and over-debated topic on a forum in which I lurk is, “is Arch for newbies?”. It begs the question: How new is the newbie? Have they ever turned on a computer? Or have they tinkered and consider themselves savvy, but are just new to the concept of Arch? There is a huge difference here, but for some reason this fact is overlooked as new and seasoned users alike heatedly debate the question ad nauseum. Everyone has an opinion, but it is so obvious that there is no straight-up yes/no answer to that question. The answer (without knowing if the person in question has ever turned on a computer) should be hell yes! If people are willing to learn then that’s all that should matter. Is Arch for everyone? As with taking up anything new, people have to research it, experience it and then decide for themselves. No other variables matter. Experienced users cannot decide what works best for a non-user. It is like explaining to women that it hurts to get kicked in the gonads…we know it hurts, but we don’t understand how exactly.
As in any community forum, and much like many societies, there is a definite hierarchy in place. The difference being that one’s status within the community is not based on real life success or monetary wealth–it is based on knowledge, who holds it and…oh, post count. Joining a forum is to become part of a community where rules are established and enforced to maintain order, and where protocol must be followed for the collective good of the group. Despite those that test these limits, many join a community for common reasons, mainly to share ideas and to learn.
The term newbie is no longer a valid assessment of one’s worth or experience on-line. In labelling someone a newbie, is to identify them as being at the bottom of the hierarchy–plain and simple. The social construct of the rite of passage from joining (newbie) to becoming a respected member restrains everyone from the goal of sharing knowledge. New users may restrain themselves from posting for fear of repercussion, while seasoned users expend useless energy pointing out the flaws within the posts. With it’s overuse and blatantly ambiguous nature, “newbie” can no longer describe the varying degrees of experience people have. Despite the reasons for people joining, showing up, posting or not, the basis of any good community is diversity. Differing opinions, controversy, and open discourse is what makes a community great, and this should be acknowledged. In grouping all new forum registrants with the burdensome label of newbie with a big fat 1 post count, is to perpetuate the negative connotation and stagnate growth. So what doth make a newbie? Remove the post-count and joining date and find out.