To prevent new members from ignoring pinned or welcome posts, I think it’d be a good idea to have a “click-through” window pop up as soon as new members join a community. Something they’d have to click “next” in order to progress through. This way they HAVE to read the FAQS or welcome posts, or watch a welcome video before being given free rein in the community.
I had this idea after listening to the FayeFilms interview where she mentioned new members often ignore the pinned posts and go straight to posting things that have already been answered.