User:Brendon111/Experience/Welcoming new users

This is an incomplete essay. It contains the my advice or opinions on Welcoming New users. This essay may not represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints. Consider these views with discretion. Essays are not Wikipedia policies.

Welcoming New Users

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by Brendon

00:01, May 22, 2012‎ (UTC)

Let me just get to the point. I like welcoming New editors in lots. I think it's only helpful if you do it in good-faith and with an intent to accustom newbies to WP:POLICIES as opposed to biting them or scaring them with warnings which they might not be able to fathom to begin with, due to their lack of knowledge about WP:POLICY. Besides, I believe amicable approach helps^{[note 1]}.

Welcoming users who made unhelpful edits

Assuming good faith

Well, when I look at someone's page (i.e. User talk page) and see no warnings, I try to assume good-faith and think the editor is not a "vandal"^{[note 2]}. Some users are not familiar with Wikipedia's purpose or policies and may start editing it as if it were a different medium — such as a forum or blog — in a way that it appears as unproductive editing or borderline vandalism to experienced users. Yes, there is a possibility that that user may still be making unhelpful edits, but that is all the more reason why we should welcome him/her to wikipedia properly. For us, it will be under the auspices of good-faith to assume that had (s)he been properly acquainted with the policies, (s)he wouldn't be committing the mistakes (s)he has committed.^{[note 3]} Moreover, nothing is stopping anybody from warning them at a later stage.

New editors are important too

Wikipedia articles are improved through the hard work of regular editors, but also through numerous contributions made by newcomers. Some of the edits stick and some just don't. But to assume before hand that editors whose first few edits are seemingly unhelpful, are simply vandals, would be a breach of WP:AGF and most probably a violation of WP:BITE too. The edits might have been unintentional or a result of their lack of cognizance of WP:POLICIES. We must treat newcomers with kindness and patience — nothing scares potentially valuable contributors away faster than hostility. Yes, if you notice inadvertent mistakes in the new user's contributions^{[note 4]}, you may wish to bring it to their attention in your welcome message.

Dealing with would-be vandals

It's sometimes hard enough to distinguish between a genuinely inexperienced editor making unhelpful edits and a real vandal.
Having said that, it's true that some new users use their accounts solely to vandalize or break the rules in other ways. That's why before you welcome users, it is recommended that you check their recent contributions. If the user has blatantly vandalized a page and was unwarned, you should add a warning template, such as {{subst:uw-vandal1}}, to their talk page.

When welcoming is not really needed

There are editors who don't need you to welcome them. Some of them are (including, but not limited to)

Blocked users, while they are still blocked.
Users who are already welcomed several times or at least one time in recent past.
Users who are already acquainted with WP:POLICIES.
Accounts that have been inactive for several months.
Proven Vandals.

Notes

^ this is not to imply that other approaches are not amicable enough
^ The word "vandal" may sound a tad harsh to some editors
^ That's one reason why WP:AGF exists in the first place
^ It doesn't mean you must notice every unintentional mistake an editor has committed

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