Mikeki Wiki:Respect the Newcomers

On the Mikeki, articles are improved through the hard work of both our regular editors that are seen on the usual and newbie editors. Remember: all of us were new editors at the Mikeki at one point, and in some ways (such as when editing an article on a page that an editor is generally unfamiliar with) even the most experienced among us are still newcomers.

New members are prospective contributors and are therefore our most valuable resource. We must treat newcomers with kindness and patience&mdash;nothing scares potentially valuable contributors away faster than hostility. It is very unlikely for a newcomer to be completely familiar with our policies and how to use MediaWiki efficiently and concisely when they start editing. Even the most experienced editors may need a gentle reminder from time to time.

PLEASE do not bite the newcomers

 * Understand that newcomers are both necessary for and valuable to the community. By helping new users, we can increase the number of necessary articles on our website with factual details to show people a channel's true flaws, thereby preserving its purpose and ultimately increasing its value. In fact, it has been found that newcomers are responsible for adding the majority of substantive edits, i.e. lasting content; while insiders and administrators are responsible for a large number of total edits, these often involve tweaking, reverting, and rearranging content.
 * We have a set of rules, standards, and traditions, but they must not be applied in such a way as to thwart the efforts of newcomers who take that invitation at face value. A newcomer brings a wealth of ideas, creativity and experience from other areas that, current rules and standards aside, have the potential to better the Mikeki and our sister wikis as well. It may be that the rules and standards need revising or expanding; perhaps what the newcomer is doing "wrong" may ultimately improve our wiki. Observe for a while and, if necessary, ask what the newcomer is trying to achieve before concluding that their efforts are wanting or that they are simply "wrong".
 * If a newcomer seems to have made a small mistake, e.g. didn't use the infobox properly or at all, correct it yourself but do not slam the newcomer. A gentle note on their user page explaining our wiki's standards and how to achieve them in the future may prove helpful, as they may be unfamiliar with the norm or merely how to achieve it. Remember, this is a place where anyone may edit and therefore it is each person's responsibility to edit and complement, rather than to criticize or supervise others. If you use bad manners or curse at newcomers, they may decide not to contribute again and that is not what we want.
 * A newcomer may save a tentative first draft to see if they are even allowed to start an article, with plans to expand it if there is no backlash. If, within a few minutes, the article is plastered with cleanup tags, templates asking for a mountain of evidence, classified as a "stub" or even suggested for deletion, they may give up entirely. It is better to wait a few days to see how a harmless article evolves than to rush to criticize.
 * If you feel that you must say something to a newcomer about a mistake, please do so in a constructive and respectful manner. Begin by introducing yourself with a nice welcoming greeting on the user's talk page to let them know that they are welcomed here, and present your corrections calmly and as a peer. If possible, point out something they've done correctly or especially well.
 * Remind newcomers we save everything. When their edits are reverted, they may panic, start an edit war, or leave the Mikeki entirely, mistakenly assuming that hours of work has been irretrievably deleted. Let them know they can negotiate with other editors on talk pages and, if all else fails, they can try again.
 * Newcomers may be hesitant to make changes, especially major ones, such as corrections on a featured article out of the fear of being seen as a moronic noob (or of offending the admins and being flamed or blocked). Teach them that any edit is welcome, as long as it is meaningful in some way.
 * When giving advice, make the newcomer feel genuinely welcome, not as though they must win your approval in order to be granted membership into an exclusive club. Any new domain of concentrated, special-purpose human activity has its own specialized structures, which take time to learn (and which benefit from periodic re-examination and revision).
 * Do not call newcomers disparaging names such as "sockpuppet" or "gofag". You can point them to those policies if there is valid cause to do so. For example, if a disproportionate number of newcomers show up and begin editing in a way that does not match the Mikeki's quality standards, you should make them feel welcome while explaining that their articles may be disregarded and/or deleted if they violate basic policies regarding content. No name-calling is necessary. Similarly, think hard before calling a newcomer a sockpuppet, because you do not know that they are a confirmed sockpuppet just yet. Besides, it is discouraged to label any editor with such invidious titles during a dispute.
 * There are some times when users add in new discussions to talk pages, despite the discussions already being ongoing. Often, the newcomers wouldn't be aware that there has already been a discussion on the topic, even if it is very recent, so please guide them with it. This also relates to forum use, or reviving discussions that have already ended.
 * Assume good faith on the part of newcomers, they most likely just want to help us out. Give them a chance!
 * Experience or associated privileges from it shouldn't be misguidedly interpreted as a means for superiority over other users, and no editor is above any other editor, including admins or bureaucrats. Editors who exercise these privileges should provide unambiguous clarity as to why, based on policies – this is a sign of a responsible editor.
 * Behavior that appears malicious might be from ignorance of our expectations and rules. Even if you are 100% sure that someone is a worthless troll, vandal, or worse, conduct yourself as if they are not. Remember that the apparent test editors have the potential to be tomorrow's editors. By giving a polite, honest and non-condemning answer to newcomers, you have the opportunity to teach them the policies of our wiki. By being calm, interested, and respectful, you do credit to your dignity, and to our project.
 * It is polite to point out to newcomers little details about editing on the Mikeki, such as the fact that one can sign one's name on userpages by leaving four of the tilde symbols (~), or pointing out that a link to a page can be achieved by putting double square brackets around a word or phrase.
 * Remember that you too were once a newcomer. Treat others as you were treated (or, probably, wish you had been treated) when you first arrived.

How to avoid biting newcomers
Newcomers' ideas of how things should be handled within the Mikeki will largely be out of context. To those unfamiliar to MediaWiki, our wiki may seem like a jungle and it may take some time before a newcomer becomes accustomed to how things work here. Keeping that in mind may help you avoid becoming a "biter". To avoid being accused of biting, try to:


 * 1) Avoid intensifiers in commentary (e.g., exclamation points and words like sucks, awful, shitty, worthless, etc.).
 * 2) Moderate your approach and wording.
 * 3) Always explain reverts in the edit summary, and use plain English rather than cryptic abbreviations.
 * 4) Avoid sarcasm in edit summaries and on talk pages, especially when reverting. This also applies for nonsense reasoning.
 * 5) Strive to respond in a measured manner.
 * 6) Wait, i.e. calm down first.
 * 7) Be gracious.
 * 8) Acknowledge differing principles and be willing to reach an agreement.
 * 9) Take responsibility for resolving any conflict.
 * 10) Reciprocate where necessary.
 * 11) Listen actively.
 * 12) Avoid excessive shortening. When linking to policies or guidelines, do so in whole phrases, not shorthand, as that may confuse newcomers, no matter how simple it may seem to you.
 * 13) Avoid blocks as a first resort. Consider talking to a user before you block them.
 * 14) Avoid deleting newly created articles on the spot, as inexperienced authors might still be working on them or trying to figure something out.
 * 15) Even the most well written and helpful deletion template message may seem frightening or unwelcome to new users. Consider writing a personalized message.
 * 16) Don't fill a newly created page with maintenance templates or join a pile of people pointing out problems. Having multiple people tell you that you did something wrong is unfriendly and off-putting, even when each individual comment is gently phrased and kindly intended.
 * 17) And most importantly, be kind to the new user, respect their personality, and their identity.

Ignorantia juris may excuse
The principle ignorantia juris non excusat (Latin for: "ignorance of the law does not excuse") is incompatible with the guidelines of "do not bite". In this case, ignorance of our guidelines can or may excuse the mistakes of a newcomer. Furthermore, you yourself violate our guidelines and policies when you attack a new user for ignorance of them.

Try instead to follow the points set forth in this article to relieve new editors of their ignorance. Keep in mind that this is not the way many other things work, and even seasoned editors fail to follow—or are simply unaware of—our guidelines from time to time.

To a newcomer, the number of policies and guidelines can be overwhelming. Ignorance of the rules can often be expected, but willfully disregarding them and disrupting the editorial process of constructing our library of "bad" is quite another. If you exclude editors without lots of experience and the like from your circle you probably diminish the final product.

In all cases though, we ought to interact with our fellow editors with gentleness and respect. This is the most important thing to stress. Some strategies are:


 * 1) Approach challenging behaviors as a self-protective and responsive behavior occurring as a result of triggered/unmet needs.
 * 2) Avoid babying a newcomer, impulsive labeling as a vandal or sockpuppet, outpacing the newcomer with policies instead of educating with core ones, ignoring and reverting newcomer concerns and contributions in their active presence of editing.
 * 3) Avoid acute and repetitive paraphrase of intimidation language, confrontations and quizzing with respect and confidence.
 * 4) Objectivity isn't neutrality, modifying pattern of communication that fits with constructive interpersonal skills (validation, collaboration, facilitation of skills for tasks, non-disruptive and comfortable environment, friendly support and non-solicitation relations) is within any good communities' spirit.
 * 5) Always choose a compassionate and gentle persuasive approach.

What to do if you feel you have "bitten" or have been bitten
If you have bitten someone, or feel that you have been bitten, considering the following points could help ensure that it doesn't happen again.


 * 1) Choose to learn from the incident.
 * 2) Apologize if you realize you have bitten another user.
 * 3) Consider alternatives to biting that could have achieved a better response. If you encounter a similar situation in the future, choose one of those alternatives instead of repeating history.
 * 4) Find something of value in the experience. Extract the wisdom that may have been unintentionally veiled.
 * 5) Be reasonable. Explain why you were offended, but learn to recognize when the message cannot be received. The recipient may be unable or unwilling to accept fault, and it may be better to move on to other things than to dwell on the bite.
 * 6) Move on from it!

Common newcomer errors
One common error among newcomers is to create an article that is heavily negatively opinionated over someone that is either very popular and widely considered to create good content, or adding a person solely because they didn't agree with their opinion on something.

Another common newbie error is to misuse MediaWiki's string commands. There is no reason to expect that a newcomer would have experience in MediaWiki unless their edits immediately meet their standards or that they mention in their userpage that they have experience with MediaWiki (e.g, former or current Wikipedia editor, Encylopedia Dramatica refugee), so it is a good idea to inform them of how to use MediaWiki via MediaWiki tutorials.

Templates

 * The template New User can be placed on a new account's userpage upon account creation. It can be removed by the user whenever they feel, or by an admin if they have decided they have gained worthy experience.