How about adding a "Beginners" category?

[way2go]

When I joined the forum, the first thing I looked for was a “Beginners” category. There isn’t one. Would it be a good idea to add it now that we have quite a few new members?

Some forums call it “Newcomers,” or “Welcome,” or “Start Here!” The category often includes a welcome message, links to important posts, and an invitation for newbies to say hello and introduce themselves. Regardless of the name, it would be a place where beginners would feel comfortable posting their questions and asking for help. Of course, this only works if the rest of us are willing to respond to those posts. But from what I’ve seen so far, the more experienced members here are friendly and very helpful.

There’s a fair chance that a Beginners category would become a hodgepodge of topics that might better fit other existing categories. However, having perfectly organized posts may not be as important as having newcomers feel welcome. This is about community building. New members bring an enthusiasm that’s contagious.

I’d like to hear what others think of this idea. Any comments or suggestions?

[invi]

That would not be a bad idea.

[Fairgo]

That’s an excellent idea. I’ll discuss it with the other mods/devs. Thanks for the suggestion!

[way2go]

Great! Thanks so much, @Fairgo.

@invi, I appreciate your support of the idea, too.

[way2go]

Is the Beginners category idea still under consideration? If so, we wouldn’t want to start with it completely empty. Here are some existing topics that could be moved to a new Beginners category.

Where do you recommend complete beginners learn GO?

Hello all, I have always recommended “The Interactive Way to GO” as what I think is the best intro to the game. However recently someone wanting to learn GO in between work on their Iphone was unable to use the site due to lack of support on mobile platforms for Flash and Java. Are there any other sites as good? I think it is superlative in that teaches and practices a simple concept before moving on. ( And it is Japanese rules which is most common in the US) I would love it if OGS hosted…

Is there a video series for terrible beginners?

I’m a computer programmer and have been watching alpha go playing as I’m very interested in the AI but I still struggle to understand the game with the professional commentator after spending 8-10 hours reading the rules and trying go myself. I have downloaded igowin ( the windows version ) and I can’t even beat that at 23 kyu, I keep thinking I have created an alive group and then suddenly white owns the board and my group is gone. This is on a 9x9 board with handicap stones. I’m looking for …

(Near) Absolute Beginner: Good books to study?

The title essentially says it. I am very new to Go. I understand the rules well enough (capturing stones, the ko rule, gaining territory by surrounding it). I’d very much like a book (or several) that I could study that would help me understand basic strategy and the like. Obviously, the people who will theoretically be replying to this post should be significantly more aware of what I need to know than I myself am, so please, don’t be scared to suggest something I’ve preemptively rejected. Th…

Go Resources for Starting Out

Hi everyone! Just starting out at Go and looked at a few sites explaining the theory of how to “see territory”, common patterns like ladders and snapbacks, etc. Tried playing a few games with the computer (easy) and lost all of them haha. Was wondering if you guys know of any resources where I can watch 9x9 games (the full board is just too overwhelming for me now) being played while people explain the rationale behind each move, or maybe even be able to learn what moves to play or not to play…

A Program/Book that gives a foundation of the game

Hi guys I am a beginner. I know basic rules of the game. I have a competitive chess background and can see this game is far more complicated. In Chess there are courses(ChessMaster Program, How to Reassess your Chess, etc…) that give the player a foundation and introduce the main topics of the game. I was wondering if something like that existed for Go. I play games and like to do Life and Death problems. However playing, I can see I lack information to come up with a move and find myself trying…

Free Resources for Beginners

We have had a number of beginners join recently, and the amount of information can be overwhelming. This is an annotated list of links that I, as a fellow beginner, have found useful. Many of these free sites have been mentioned elsewhere on the OGS forums, and that’s how I discovered them. The Interactive Way to Go http://playgo.to/iwtg/en/ This is a classic site, often recommended, and it is where I started — but only because it was the first tutorial I found. About two-thirds of the way t…

[bloooob]

Hey I’d give a plus one to this idea too. As a beginner, it was quite natural for me to look for a “For Beginners” category on the forum. Then, I wouldn’t have to search the entire forums and look at individual threads for beginner resources!

[tdnksc]

I am starting out, and am terrible and slow. I am afraid I am annoying to play with. A few people have asked me to hurry up after about 15 seconds. What is a normal time to take for a move?

[way2go]

@tdnksc, I’ve started a new thread to discuss your question about timing:

How much time to take per move?

[way2go]

Yay! @matburt has created a new Beginners category.
https://forums.online-go.com/c/go-resources/beginners
Thanks so much.

[trohde]

Thanks for your support—and perseverence, @way2go I’ll start moving threads to that section ASAP.

<edit>
done.

Do you think we should move that “how much time” thread there also?

I’d say it’s a beginner’s question since (I think) advanced players wouldn’t care that much about what their opponent thinks of them
</edit>

[way2go]

[quote=“trohde, post:10, topic:6865”]
… I’ll start moving threads to that section ASAP.

<edit>done.[/quote]
Thanks! We have a fully populated category now.

@trohde

Do you think we should move that “how much time” thread there also?

Yes, good idea. The reason I say that is because the OP probably would have posted that question in the Beginners category if it had been available at the time.