In my experience, I’ve found that dedicated “Welcome” categories often see low engagement. Most new members fall into two camps:
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They jump straight into conversations because their immediate need outweighs any potential “shyness.”
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They “lurk” for a while to gauge the culture before ever posting.
Usually, people don’t want to post twice (once to say hi and once to ask a question). They’ll almost always just combine them. Once they are past that initial barrier to entry, they tend to just flow into the existing discussions.
That said, community culture is everything! Success for these types of categories depends on whether the community is small and intimate or a larger space where reputation is built over time. Personally, I’ve seen more success letting intros happen naturally within the main discussions.
I’ve also always been a big believer in reducing categories as much as possible (see my previous thoughts here) and only adding them when the need becomes obvious. If there are overlaps in intent (e.g., a “Questions” category vs. a “Welcome and First Question” category), it creates “choice paralysis” and initial confusion.
I like to think of Categories based on intent (asking questions, sharing tips, etc.) and Tags as a way of grouping those intents (e.g., #first-question, #emergency, #new-member). This keeps your top-level navigation clean while still allowing you to track and orient new arrivals.