The number that predicts retention is time-to-first-reply: minutes between a newcomer's first message and a human response. Under 60 minutes, they tend to come back. Over a day, most never post again.
The First-Reply SOP:
☐ Set a trigger: every new intro pings two named greeters, not @everyone
☐ Greeter replies within 60 minutes during waking hours
☐ Reply names them, asks one specific follow-up, tags one relevant member
☐ Off-hours: an auto-message buys time ("a human will reply by 9am")
Don't rely on the whole community to spontaneously welcome people — diffusion of responsibility means everyone assumes someone else will. Assign it.
☐ Rotate the greeter role weekly so it doesn't burn one person
☐ Track weekly: median time-to-first-reply, target under 60 min
Save this for your next launch.
The Loop System
@TheLoopSystem
FAQ: How fast do I need to reply to a new member?
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