Hi, I moved your topic to Suggestions, as it seems to belong here.
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A good suggestion I think. Unfortunately, and I can’t quantify it, I believe that a very large number of members have zero interest in something beyond “send a card, receive a card.” Again, just an opinion.
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Just some feedback Helen - I steer new people to direct swaps, tags & lotteries while they’re waiting for official cards because they’re fairly easy to figure out & do as a newbie.
I’ve never done a Round Robin ever, in the 4 years I’ve been a member, because every time I go to look at what’s required, it seems way too complicated, unclear & just too demanding.
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Exactly this!!
I’ve done RR in other forums but what happens here is completely overwhelming and confusing. I’ve talked to other long-term members who never do round robins either for that same reason.
The only exception to this is the Christmas postcards RR, which I think may be the only RR some members ever do. I think it’s for the following reasons (besides getting Christmas cards):
- It has a distinct start and end. Sign-up deadlines are clearly marked in the TITLE and UPDATED as needed. I don’t see this happening in any of the other RRs.
- The people involved in that RR are the only people in that RR. This may sound obvious, but going to another RR that’s been running for 3 years, is on group 936, and where people sign up and post messages to groups within that RR that you are not a part of…it’s all clutter that individuals need to sift through, especially if they are conscientious and want to do the RR properly. I don’t understand why RRs, like the Christmas one, aren’t limited to the group/season only, and when it’s done, it’s done. A new one gets started. That’s what happens in the tags and lotteries, and they are popular (at least for me) for that very reason.
- Connected to the both points is that RRs seem to have ongoing signups, with no deadlines, so that you might have to wait a while for a group to get started, and in the meantime will be inundated with updates to rounds that you are not a part of. No thanks.
Note - I am aware that there is a monthly RR but it’s pretty much closed to new members since you have to have established yourself in other RRs, and I only notice that RR in my feed when signups have been closed, because for some reason I am never aware of when sign-ups have opened (not that I could sign up anyway).
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I am not that new, but I tried for the first time to join RR a couple of months ago. What happened was that they all became ready around the same time and I found myself with ~40 cards to send in the 2 weeks deadline for each RR group. It was extra stressful
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To me round robins look very complicated, that is why I never took part in one. And I think pointing newbies to round robins straight away could overwhelm the newbies.
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I think it could be a good idea to send an official email to newbies (after a week or two after they signed up) to remind them of the options, something like “are you finding the wait too long? Come check the direct swaps and tags/ discussions at the forum to have some fun and meet other members”
I, too, wouldn’t direct a newbie to RRs.
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I felt the same way when I was new. Although most are fairly simple, some are set up in ways that have confused new members at times.
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Good point @cliffisde. When I first joined in 2020 I had no interest beyond official cards. But, as I waited and waited and waited thinking I’d never hear from anyone I started to look for other ways to communicate with other Postcrossers. So glad I did dig a bit deeper!
A great bunch of additions to direct members to! Thanks for adding to the conversation with these terrific ideas @LC-Canada !
All valid points @mooseontheloose when one considers the “newness” of the experience at Postcrossing.
Ideally, new members could be directed to ALL options for additional participation, when they sign up. Then, make choices based on the range of options available and potential connections to individual interests.
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@ieahleen This happened a couple of times with me; but, it’s not the norm. And, I learned to not sign up for too many at a time. 
@RalfH perhaps a caveat suggesting that newbies check things out a couple of weeks after joining to avoid feeling overwhelmed?
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“I think it could be a good idea to send an official email to newbies (after a week or two after they signed up) to remind them of the options, something like “are you finding the wait too long? Come check the direct swaps and tags/ discussions at the forum to have some fun and meet other members”
Great idea @cleopatra-matta !
This could solve feeling overwhelmed as well as allow newbies to consider whether they are ready for a deeper dive.
And - BONUS - give an additional sense of community through the followup message.
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That could be a way, perhaps combined with making the round robins less complex.
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It’s confusing for those of us who’ve been around for a while too!
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In the years that I have joined or hosted Round Robins, I’ve tended to look for those that are moderated. Moreover, smaller concise ones are easier to participate in. A good example of one that I enjoy is the NA X Meets the World Round Robin. Typically, this one involves 4 North America members sending cards to 4 members from other countries & vice versa. For Unwritten cards, the NA Traveling Envelope is great.
The moderated ones are better I think because on occasion, a member will use a RR as a dumping ground, not send their cards, not send cards that don’t meet the guideline of the RR. In that scenario, after repeated infractions, the moderator will step in and block that person from further participation.
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This thread is full of good ideas. And I think the issue can be expanded beyond that. I just started another thread which you might find interesting (and references this one) at Alternative for Helping Newbies (and not-so Newbies) Navigate the Confusion
And now I am wondering if the Admins read all these Suggestion topics because I don’t often see them weighing in on these threads. Perhaps they are already busy enough until they notice a specific problem and then go looking to see if other Postcrossers have done some thinking about those problems?
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I must admit that I found Round Robins also very confusing and far from easy at first (and second and probably a few more) sight(s). Now, I actually host one myself ( Postcard Set RR - The Sequel ) .
We always welcome new members and then I send them a mail in which I explain everything. I’ve received many positive reactions on this.
Mail sent to new members
Welcome in this group!
Now you’ve asked to join a group, you have accepted the rules that come with this Round Robin. Nothing different from all the other Round Robins though.
Once the group is ready to travel (and has minimum 3 members), it is my job to let all participants know the addresses and collections (if any). I usually do this every other Sunday evening when I have more time.
I don’t know whether you know how Round Robins work. You have to send each member one card of the RR’s topic. Check their collections (if there are any) to avoid duplicates In the big group (so not in a mail), you let me know when you’ve sent your cards. When you have received a card, you tag the person in the group and thank the person there. Make sure to mention the group number so I can keep everything organised too.
Unless you have successfully joined other RRs (one or more), I’m afraid you cannot join another group till your first cards have arrived. I hope you understand (it is a rule for all RRs on the forum). But you can rest assured that all participants report their cards as soon as possible. If you have joined other RRs before without any problems, could you please let me know which ones? This will allow you then to join more groups should you want to.
Do you have any collections or albums we can see? If so, could you please let me know the link? Is it all right then that I use this link for other participants to be able to send you new cards for your collection? I personally have all my collections on zonerama, this is a free website you can use to keep an order in your collections and where you can upload an unlimited number of images. Keeping and organising your collections in albums is quite easy and helps other members to make sure that you have a multitude of different cards. Of course, you don’t have to upload all your postcards, you could only go for the ones you really like or certain collections. Having an online album is certainly not a must, just a tip. After all, the written part of the card should make all the difference, even for duplicates. Another one that is often used is Flickr (up to 1000 postcards or photos, then you’ll need to pay). Both are very user-friendly.
Because sometimes the same members send each other cards for different groups, we have a special system here : Only if you see a 
or 
after the name are you allowed to send multiple cards in an envelope if this is more convenient for you. A means that your partner would like you to ‘fake’ a stamped postcards with used stamps and the address. In all other cases, your partner expects all cards written and stamped.
Could you let me know how you’d like to receive multiple cards from the same member?
as usual – all written and stamped individually- fake – sent in an envelope with other card(s) but looking as if were sent written and stamped
- in an envelope is fine (fully written)
I wish you many great postcrossing experiences here! Always willing to answer any questions you might still have.
I don’t really understand what you mean here. Don’t you just read what was written especially for you when a person tagged you? Of course, you can read all other replies too, but that’s not really necessary.
Exactly.
It is a fact that in the Postcard Set RR - The Sequel some groups need to wait a bit longer before they can start travelling, depending on interest. But other groups really travel on a regular basis. Any Postcard Box, for example, travels every fortnight with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 people. It’s also fairly easy to see. If you’re the 3rd member, for example, then you know your group will start travelling the following Sunday (or the Sunday after that one, because I only send out groups every other Sunday).
You have given me a good idea though. I should mention the next ‘sending Sunday’-date (love the alliteration too ) somewhere obvious so new (and old) members immediately see when the groups will start travelling. Thanks for that! 
It also solves your issue with ‘no deadlines’. Sometimes it’ll still be unclear, but from as soon as you’re the 3rd member, you know the deadline.
Now, to answer the initial question: I think it may be a good idea to inform new members about the possibilities of the forum more actively. Not straight away, but after a few weeks, as suggested by some.
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