welcomeliterally

Welcomeliterally is a neologism used in online discourse to describe a style of welcoming newcomers that emphasizes direct, literal, and explicit expressions of greeting. In practice, welcomeliterally messages begin with a straightforward 'Welcome' and proceed with clear statements of friendliness and inclusion, sometimes accompanied by enthusiastic punctuation or capitalization. The term is applied to both human-authored messages and automated onboarding texts, and it is often used in discussions about online community management, moderation, and user experience.

The origin of the term is informal; it emerged in internet communities as a way to contrast with more nuanced or personalized welcomes. As a label, it captures a spectrum that ranges from sincerely warm greetings to almost performative politeness, depending on tone and context. It is sometimes used humorously to point out messaging that is overly earnest or mechanical.

In usage, welcomeliterally appears in forum threads, chat channels, and social media conversations about newcomer onboarding. Some projects or bots adopt welcomeliterally-style greetings as part of their branding to signal friendliness and accessibility, while others critique the approach as potentially repetitive or insincere if overused.

See also: netiquette, onboarding, welcome message, chatbots, automated responses.