Shoutbox

I agree, sometimes new members don't get a warm welcome. But in this case, I think the neg I gave was totally justified.
I haven't seen a single board in my entire life where people could just go create multiple threads about the same subject without any problems or comments about it. Just because they are *new* and all that doesn't mean they are special and can ignore the rules. The rules are there for a reason.
In most cases where new members aren't welcomed like they should (I do think new members should be welcomed friendly and positively), it is because they either haven't read the rules or just ignore them. If I don't follow the rules I take the risk of being negged, so why would it be different for others? The fact that they are new shouldn't make any difference, they're on the same forum with the same rules. If we have to point every (well, almost every) new member to the rules, we will have hardly any time left to help them with their problem. (bit exaggerated, but you get my point)
IMO, new members should be directed to the rules once they register, and maybe even the first couple of times they sign in to make sure they have taken notice of the fact that there are rules to follow.

My 2 cents.