Am I welcoming incorrectly?

When I have the time and inclination, I try to welcome n00bies to the site. I’ve done so for several years now, and find comfort in the knowledge that some of them didn’t just get lost in the shuffle that is starting out here.

What with the moderation of questions, the strange terminology and the awards, lurve and bells and whistles – it can be confusing for some – especially those who have wandered here by accident – following a google search – or by asking a question about Facebook or their Ipod.

So I welcome them. I just say welcome, or welcome to fluther – knowing they will immediately get about three different awards and a few lurve points right off the bat. It can be lonely initially, with 1 little lurve and just a guppy award to your name, right?

But I find that the last thousand or so not only have not responded to my greeting, may even be taking it the wrong way.

One of them replied (after a few hundred who didn’t even bother to do that) with – not a “thank you” – but with a question: “fluther bot?”

So my question is: how to greet a newbie correctly?