User:Aspectacle/Don't bite the newcomers

Sure you work hard and have thousands of contributions and know the rules of the wiki back to front, but curious new contributors can improve and do just as much for the wiki. All of us were newcomers once, even those careful or lucky enough to have avoided making mistakes.

New contributors are prospective community members and long term contributors, and are therefore a valuable resource. We must treat newcomers with kindness and patience — nothing scares potentially valuable contributors away faster than hostility. While many newcomers hit the ground running, some lack knowledge about the way we do things.

Do not be hostile toward newcomers. Remember to assume good faith first and approach them in a polite manner.

Please DO NOT bite the newcomers

• Understand that newcomers are both needed by and of value to the community. By empowering newcomers, we improve the potential quality and quantity of information in the wiki.
• We have a set of rules and standards and traditions, but they must not be applied in such a way as to thwart those newcomers who boldly edit the wiki. It is entirely possible for a newcomer to this site to bring a wealth of experience from the game or other wikis, together with ideas and creative energy which, current rules and standards notwithstanding, may further improve the community and wiki. It may be that the rules and standards need revising or expanding; some of what the newcomer seems to be doing "wrong" at first may actually improve wiki. Observe for a while and, if necessary, ask what the newcomer is trying to achieve before defining what he or she is doing as "wrong" or "substandard".
• If you do determine, or sincerely believe, a newcomer has made a mistake, try to correct the mistake yourself. Do not slam the newcomer; remember, this is a place where anyone can edit and, in a very real sense, it is therefore each person's responsibility to edit, not to criticize or supervise others.
• Remember that newcomers often do not realize that edit histories are saved. So when their edits are deleted, they will often panic, start an edit war or leave the wiki because they mistakenly assume that hours of work have been irretrievably deleted. Please gently let newcomers know that their work is never lost and can always be retrieved from the history. Teach them that they can negotiate on talk pages.
• If you really feel that you must say anything at all to a newcomer about a mistake, please do so in a constructive way. Begin by introducing yourself with a welcome on the user's talk page to let them know that he or she is welcome here, and present your corrections calmly and as the contributor's peer, perhaps also pointing out things he or she has done that you like. If you cannot do that, then it may well be better to say nothing.
• While it is fine to point a new user, who has made a mistake, towards the relevant policy pages, it is both unreasonable and unfriendly to suggest that he or she stop taking part in votes, AfD discussions etc. until he or she "gains more experience." This both discourages new editors and may deprive the wiki of insight.
• Make the newcomer feel genuinely welcome, not as though he or she must win your approval in order to be granted membership into an exclusive club.
• Do not call newcomers disparaging names such as "sockpuppet" or "meatpuppet". If a lot of newcomers show up on one side of a vote, you should make them feel welcome while explaining that their votes may be disregarded. No name-calling is necessary.
• Assume good faith on the part of the newcomer. He or she most likely wants to help out. Give him or her a chance!
• Behavior that appears malicious to experienced editors is more likely due to ignorance of our expectations and rules. Even if you're 100% sure that someone is a worthless, no-good, troll, vandal, or worse, conduct yourself as if he or she is not.
• Remember that you were once a newcomer also. Treat others as (if possible, better than) you would want to be treated if you had just arrived on the wiki.

How to avoid being a "biter"

You might avoid biting a newcomer by:

1. Avoiding intensifiers in commentary (such words as terrible, dumb, stupid, bad, good, and so forth, and exclamation marks).
2. Modulating one's approach and wording.
3. Avoiding sarcasm in edit summaries and on talk pages, especially when reverting.
4. Assuming good faith.
5. Acknowledging differing principles and a willingness to reach consensus.
6. Opening yourself to take responsibility for resolution of conflicts.
7. Treating others as you would be like to be treated.
8. Listening actively.
9. Avoiding jargon. When linking to policies or guidelines, do so in whole phrases, not wiki shorthand.

Common newcomer errors

One common error among newcomers is to create an article in main namespace about their character or guild or incorrectly naming an image. One way to deal gently with this is to move the article or image to the right scheme yourself and leave a note saying why. The remaining redirect can be flagged for deletion.

See also

• This article is completely plagiarized from the wikipedia behavioural guideline Don't bite the newcomers.