I want to address something I have seen lately that I feel is an abomination, and that is the use of "welcoming guides" for newbs in lieu of a thoughtful and personal comment to their intro post.

Lately I have seen these "guides" (usually a listing of several unexplained sources in a huge block paragraph) attached to someones first post. No hello, no personal comment. They usually contain a huge flashy gif or banner advertising a particular server, and are longer than the introduce yourself blog its attached to. They also effectively hide every other comment with the ginormous length.

People, this is just plain rude! At least have the courtesy to write something personal acknowledging the individual before you paste that mess. Next, edit! Don't just drop 101 links. Pick three links and explain how each works and why they might be helpful to that person instead of listing the nigerian server next to one for chess players in a post about crypto. FOCUS dammit. Make it personal, make it specific, and if that person comments to you about your abomination, have the decency to comment back. Rant over.