I have popped in to welcome the newbies, but I rarely go into that forum (not just here, but any site), not because I don't feel welcoming to newbies, but because I'm the type of person who just prefers to "jump in" to a conversation and say hi while I'm at it. If I'm the newbie, that's usually what I do, unless the board has a mandatory "hello" message requirement. People will get to know me quickly by the content of my posts. I also find you get to know more people that way, because others are often like me and don't jump to the forum to welcome all the newbies, especially when there are lots of newbies every day like here.