Beginner's Path

Points to be earned

• Basics (4)
  • 1 - confirm email address
  • 1 - edit profile
  • 2 - write biography
• Communication (4)
  • 1 - sign up for forums
  • 1 - make one forum post** 1 - send email using rs.org (to instructor/mentor)
  • 1 - sign onto IRC, join #rs_bar_and_grill, and say hello
  • 1 - make a comment on a news post
• Education (6)
  • 1 - read all 5 bylaws pages
  • 1 - read all 13 operations manual pages
  • 1 - visit all 7 executive office pages
  • 1 - take one academy course
  • 2 - pass one academy course (after grading by instructor)
• Other (3)
  • 1 - vote on ten quotes
  • 1 - upload one picture to the gallery (if uncomfortable with RL pics, can be of your character)
  • 1 - make a "funpoints" submission

total possible points: 17

Rewards

• 5 pts - Beginner's Path Ribbon & promotion to Lt. j.g.
• 15 pts - Beginner's Path Honors Ribbon & promotion to 2nd Lt.
• 25 pts - Beginner's Path Master's Ribbon

Brief summary

Excerpt from Licah's email to High Command:

Beginner's Path - A rather coding-intense project that gives someone who's
just signed up a very specific list of things to do in order to earn his
or her first promotion.  I'm sure I fired off an email or five about this
to various people, and I even started working on it once, but basically,
you get promoted to LJG (or whatever) if you:
- Edit profile
- Sign up for the forums
- Make one forum post
- Send one email using rs.org
- Find the pages listing honorary members (two pages - one for those with
the medal, one for those with the roster status) (exercise in using site,
also a bit of a history lesson)
- whatever else you might care to add
This gives people something to do right at the beginning, there is
absolutely no dead time, you click the "Join!" button, and there's a big
"Welcome!" page, and a big "Next Step -->" link.  This should really cut
down on lost members; it's easy, you get rewarded for it, you learn how to
work the site, and you build a connection with the site.  The main reason
I haven't done it yet is the amount of coding involved.  Snap and I have
discussed this, and I'll bet you it could be all done within 4-6 hours of
coding, but I haven't done it yet.  Also, the specific details, like what
exactly the steps are and OKing a change in the bylaws to allow promotion
to LJG, haven't been finalized.
Needed: IO staff, HC approval of project