A good welcome turns local knowledge into something shared rather than guarded.

Knowing how a place works is a mild form of power, and it is tempting to hold it. Not deliberately, usually; it is more that the unwritten rules feel too obvious to mention, and mentioning them costs a moment. But the newcomer is left decoding, and every hour they spend decoding is an hour they are not contributing, plus a small dose of feeling stupid.

Tell someone new one thing this week that nobody wrote down: who to ask, which rule is real, which is theater. Say it without making it a favor. A place where the map circulates freely tends to be a place people want to stay.