Standard Response to Students Requesting Help
This is a follow-up from the thread, "Are we doing enough to encourage newcomers to participate?"
Some students, usually new to the forum, submit questions that appear to be asking for us to answer their homework for them. Rather than just give them the answers, most experienced members reply with a short message. Some of these message are welcoming and encouraging; others are a little harsh and discouraging. I'd like to have some model messages to help us reply to these kinds of requests with encouragement.
Something along these lines:
Hello! Welcome to the forum!
We're not going to give you the answers to your homework but we are happy to give feedback on your answers to these questions.
I've seen several excellent responses (better than my example!) but can't seem to locate them. So what encouraging responses do you propose?
8 Answers
I also recommend giving the newcomers this very useful thread: How to navigate through Spanishdict.
Well, everyone seems to be talking about a specific "paragraph" etc. that we can just copy and paste. Although I think this would make life easier, my opinions on it are as follows:
If we all just copied and pasted the same thing, that would end up being very repetitive
I think that the "welcomes" (or whatever you would like to call them) should be more personal, as stated above, it would get boring
Personally I think that if we gave more effort in welcoming people and answering their questions (or just telling them to try the translator and then post their homework after they've tried to figure it out!) those people would feel more welcome. If I asked a question and got these answers, but then, saw something very similiar to it on another post, I would feel kind've discouraged. As if I was just "one more person" that people had to "deal with".
Now, as I'm typing this it's not coming out exactly how I would like it to, but, I don't know how else to say it. Those are just some of my thoughts.
Hmmm, I think it is a good idea, this way we don't have to think or write so much
jeje
Hello! Welcome to the forum!
We're not going to give you the answers to your homework but we are happy to give feedback on your answers to these questions.
We should also add this if necessary, normally it is
Remember, please, this is a learning site, we need you to use correct spelling and capitalization, thanks
Hlsbookworm wrote:
If we all just copied and pasted the same thing, that would end up being very repetitive
I wholeheartedly agree! :) As people come to the forum for the first time and start spending more and more time here, they are getting to know each of us as personalities. Unfortunately we can not all hang out in the same room physically together, but we are after all, real flesh and blood with different personalities. Imagine going to school for the first time are starting a new job. How would you react if everyone robotically answered with the same phrase: "Welcome to the office. Please feel free to sit at your desk using correct posture. You may take one fifteen minute break. Feel free to ask for directions if you can not locate the water cooler." 
Although this is polite and may get the job done, you would start to think that everything was very mechanical.
I agree that it would be quite helpful to have a sort of template to follow, but I think it would be best if everyone added a bit of their own character. I like the fact that the way Moe answers someone is different from the way Heidi would do it, which is different than the way Chaparrito would do it. This is the way we get to know each other in the forum. Everyone has different strengths and we each add a different flavor.
If anyone feels uncomfortable welcoming someone or answering a request for homework help, I think it would be great to emulate someone who is good at it. Just make sure to add a bit of yourself into whatever you choose to say. 
I like the idea of a 'standard' response. But it will be hard to come up with something that everyone agrees with.
I've come up with one that I typically put. It's based on what I've seen other people do and suggestions from the Admins. I keep it simple, so I don't think of it as a burden. Of course some of the new members speak Spanish better (which can be seen from their profile) so I'll do it in Spanish:
Welcome to SpanishDict, username!
(Then I address their question...)
I hope that helps and we look forward to seeing you around the Forum!
¡Bienvenido(a) al SpanishDict, usuario!
(Luego trato con su pregunta...)
¡Espero que esto te ayude, y que participarás plenamente en el Foro!
Edit: I just saw Issabela's useful link. This one would also be good to consider providing: technical-support
I have a few files that I have saved in notepad that I can easily cut and paste into a thread. I don't use them as much as I did before we made our "more friendly" change, but here is my "Rule #1 version:
============================= Hi NAME, welcome to our forum.
Rule Number one here is as follows:
1. Look for an answer first Search our dictionary and look through the definitions, examples, and idioms. Scroll down for a list of Questions already addressing that word in the Answers Forum, or use the Answers Forum's search box.
You can enter your phrase in our Translation Tool, or look up words in our excellent Dictionary.
We also have a nice Verb Conjugation Tool.
So please give our resources a try first, then we will be here to help you.
Thanks!
My "Rule #4 version substitutes Rule 4 for Rule 1 with the same text and links:
4. No cheating on school assignments. These forums do not provide free schoolwork, translations, or revisions of texts. You may submit your attempt at an assignment and members have the opportunity to correct it, but no one will do your assignment for you.
=====================================
I have a dictionary version that says:
Hi name,
Welcome to our forum. We have a great dictionary, which you can access by typing the word you want in the box at the very top of this page.
Enjoy
================================================= And one for the comments line:
this is a language learning site. As such, it is mandatory that all posts be written with proper grammar and spelling, including capitalization and punctuation. Please observe our forum rules in this regard.
==================================================
When you get the same questions issues over and over and over a cut and paste is helpful. Mine probably need to be softened a bit 
Perhaps if we all wrote our own versions it would help us have some variety. I might go crazy if every regular on the board used the same canned response.
I will usually welcome them to the forum and the answer will depend on the question asked. If it is a simple definition, I will explain how well the translator works. I will always ask that they supply some sort of answer first and then I will A L W A Y S help them if I can!
It might be easier if we had some sort of prefabricated welcome that we could simply copy and paste.
Is there a serious enough problem, that changes need to made? The admonition to read the site (forum), rules should suffice. There are those that will, and those who just jump in, and have to be mildly corrected, or directed to the proper way of doing things.
Here is an idiom for you, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
Respectfully
