If you wish to make an introduction post upon joining the SWG Yahoo! group, then please do! As of this writing, the Yahoo! group has less than one hundred members, so we have no reason to fear an influx of dozens of intro posts each day (which is often the chief reason that groups discourage intro posts). Our members vary as to whether they prefer to simply jump into the conversation or to first introduce themselves, but intro posts have always been well received.
Furthermore, SWG moderates the first post made by a new member. That means that your first post will have to be approved by a moderator before it is received by other group members or visible on the group's page. We began moderating members' first posts after having trouble with spam on the group. Once you make a non-spam post to the group, moderation on your account will be lifted. While our moderators do their best to make sure that new members' posts get approved as quickly as possible, they are human with jobs, families, and--occasionally!--they go on holiday, so your post might not be approved right away.
Making an intro post is one way to guarantee that when a great discussion comes along, your contribution isn't stuck waiting for a moderator's approval, unseen by the other group members. If your intro post shows that you're clearly not a spammer and are here, like the rest of us, to talk about Tolkien and writing, then it will be the only post you make that will be moderated, and your contributions to later discussions will be treated the same as posts made by our veteran members.
Last updated 30 May 2008.