User:Omni Flames/Adoption/FletchXYZ

Hi there FletchXYZ! Nice to meet you ! My username is Omni Flames, and I'm an adopter here. First of all, a warm welcome to Wikipedia from myself and everyone else at adopt-a-user. I hope you enjoy editing Wikipedia. This course will show you the basic policies and guidelines of this place, and teach you how to edit Wikipedia. I recommend you watch this page so you can see any updates to it.

Before we get started, I have a few basic questions for you. To answer them, simply click the edit button and write your answers to the questions underneath the original ones, remembering to sign your post with four tildes (~~~~). Omni Flames (talk) 07:18, 28 June 2016 (UTC)

What would you like me to address you as (FletchXYZ, Fletch, or maybe something else)?
What motivated you to join Wikipedia?
What do you enjoy that makes you want to stay on Wikipedia?
What do you want to get out of this course?
What's your time zone (this one is optional, if you don't want to answer, that's all good)?

Here you go!

You can call me Fletch or Haden (my real name), whichever you prefer.
I joined Wikipedia at first because I just thought it'd be fun to have an account—that was back when I was eleven or twelve. Now I legitimately enjoy editing information and talking to the community that, surprisingly, a lot of people don't know exists.
I enjoy being on Wikipedia for several reasons—I enjoy writing, which is a huge part of the site, I like the community that, even though I have a small amount of experience with it, I feel comfortable being a part of. If I'm honest, it's also the tiniest bit fun correcting people's mistakes...
In this course, I'd like to learn more about Wikipedia etiquette in general—such as when certain actions are appropriate, when it's correct to insert things like {{CN}}, and when/where to leave comments, plus a plethora of other things that I can't list right now—plus anything else you might want to teach me. I just really want to become a better Wikipedian and be able to be a larger and more helpful part of the community.
I'm in the Central time zone—I live in Kansas, in the United States. (See my userpage)

Thank you so much for adopting me! I really appreciate it.

ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 02:46, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

@FletchXYZ: Awesome! Thank you for that. Again, nice to meet you, Fletch

. I look forward to adopting you. My timezone is ACST by the way. Anyway, your first bit of information is below. Read that, and let me know when you've read it. Omni Flames (talk) 08:13, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

Lesson 1: The five pillars of Wikipedia

On Wikipedia, we have various rules and guidelines. We have complicated policies which can be difficult to understand at first. However, our core mission and principles are summarized in something we call the five pillars of Wikipedia, which some may shorten as "5P". Here they are:

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia: It combines many features of general and specialized encyclopedias, almanacs, and gazetteers. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, an advertising platform, a vanity press, an experiment in anarchy or democracy, an indiscriminate collection of information, or a web directory. It is not a dictionary, a newspaper, or a collection of source documents, although some of its fellow Wikimedia projects are.

Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view: We strive for articles that document and explain major points of view, giving due weight with respect to their prominence in an impartial tone. We avoid advocacy and we characterize information and issues rather than debate them. In some areas there may be just one well-recognized point of view; in others, we describe multiple points of view, presenting each accurately and in context rather than as "the truth" or "the best view". All articles must strive for verifiable accuracy, citing reliable, authoritative sources, especially when the topic is controversial or is on living persons. Editors' personal experiences, interpretations, or opinions do not belong.

Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute: Since all editors freely license their work to the public, no editor owns an article and any contributions can and will be mercilessly edited and redistributed. Respect copyright laws, and never plagiarize from sources. Borrowing non-free media is sometimes allowed as fair use, but strive to find free alternatives first.

Editors should treat each other with respect and civility: Respect your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree. Apply Wikipedia etiquette, and don't engage in personal attacks. Seek consensus, avoid edit wars, and never disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point. Act in good faith, and assume good faith on the part of others. Be open and welcoming to newcomers. Should conflicts arise, discuss them calmly on the appropriate talk pages, follow dispute resolution procedures, and consider that there are 6,915,025 articles on the English Wikipedia to improve and discuss.

Wikipedia has no firm rules: Wikipedia has policies and guidelines, but they are not carved in stone; their content and interpretation can evolve over time. The principles and spirit matter more than literal wording, and sometimes improving Wikipedia requires making exceptions. Be bold but not reckless in updating articles. And do not agonize over making mistakes: every past version of a page is saved, so mistakes can be easily corrected.

End of lesson one

Any questions? Let me know! Omni Flames (talk) 08:13, 29 June 2016 (UTC)

Hey, @Omni Flames! I think I've got it all down, thanks for the lesson! There's only one question (not related to the lesson): have I been tagging properly? I've been tagging with "{{u|USERNAME}}", then adding a preceding '@'. Is that right, or is there a shorter-hand way of doing it? Thanks so much!
— ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 18:11, 30 June 2016 (UTC)

@FletchXYZ: Great! As for your question, {{u|Username}} works, but if you want the @ symbol without having to type it, try {{ping|Username}} or {re|Username}}. Anyway, I'm working on your next course now, I'll ping you when it's done. Omni Flames (talk) 22:10, 30 June 2016 (UTC)

Thank you, @Omni Flames:! I can't wait to get the next one—I'm not exaggerating, either. I'm really (maybe too much?) enthusiastic about this.

— ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 01:21, 2 July 2016 (UTC)

Lesson 2: Wikiquette

"Wikiquette" is something that describes what is commonly regarded as good manners here on Wikipedia. Here are some things you should know.

Things to remember

Taken from WP:WQ

Assume good faith. Wikipedia has worked remarkably well so far based on a policy of nearly complete freedom to edit. People come here to collaborate and write good articles.
Remember The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would want to be treated.
Be polite.
Keep in mind that raw text may be ambiguous and often seems ruder than the same words coming from a person standing in front of you. Irony is not always obvious when written. Remember that text comes without facial expressions, vocal inflection, or body language. Be careful choosing the words you write: what you mean might not be what others understand. Likewise, be careful how you interpret what you read: what you understand might not be what others mean.
Civilly work towards agreement.
Argue facts, not personalities.
Do not intentionally make misrepresentations. Apologise if you inadvertently do so.
Do not ignore reasonable questions.
If someone disagrees with your edit, provide good reasons why you think that it is appropriate.
Concede a point when you have no response to it, or admit when you disagree based on intuition or taste.
Although it is understandably difficult in an intense argument, if other editors are not as civil as you would like them to be, be more civil, not less. That way at least you are not moving towards open conflict and name-calling; by your own action you are actively doing something about it. Try to treat others with dignity—they are people as well.
Do not hesitate to politely let the others know if you are not comfortable with their tone (e.g., "I feel that you have been sarcastic above, and I don't feel good about it. Let's try to resolve the issue").
Be prepared to apologize. In animated discussions, we often say things we later wish we had not. Say so.
Forgive and forget.
Recognize your own biases, and keep them in check.
Give praise when it's due. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, especially in an environment that often requires compromise. Drop a friendly note on users' talk pages.
Remove or summarize resolved disputes that you initiated.
Help mediate disagreements between others.
Take it slowly. If you are angry, spend time away from Wikipedia instead of posting or editing. Come back in a day or a week. You may find that someone else made the desired change or comment for you. If you think mediation is needed, enlist someone. Find another Wikipedia article to distract yourself—there are 6,915,025 articles on English Wikipedia. Take up a Wikiproject, lend your much-needed services at Cleanup, or write a new article.
Request a list of other articles to work on, provided by SuggestBot.
Remember what Wikipedia is not.
Review the list of common mistakes.
Avoid reverts whenever possible, and stay within the three-revert rule except where exemptions apply.
When reverting other people's edits, give a rationale for the revert (on the article's talk page, if necessary), and be prepared to enter into an extended discussion over the edits in question. Calmly explaining your thinking to others can often result in their agreeing with you; being dogmatic or uncommunicative evokes the same behavior in others, and gets you embroiled in an edit war.
Unless you have an excellent reason not to do so, sign and date your posts to talk pages (not articles).
Do not use jargon that others might not understand. Use acronyms carefully and clarify if there is the possibility of any doubt.

End of lesson 2

@FletchXYZ: That's it! Let me know if you've got any questions. Omni Flames (talk) 02:54, 2 July 2016 (UTC)

@Omni Flames: Thanks so much for the lesson. I've been busy the past few days, sorry for not responding. I've finished the lesson, and am ready for 3 whenever you are.

— ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 05:23, 5 July 2016 (UTC)

Sure, that's fine Fletch! The important thing to remember is that Wikipedia is a volunteer service. We're all volunteers, and real life comes first. Feel free to take a break whenever you need. Omni Flames (talk) 23:18, 5 July 2016 (UTC)

Hey, that ties right into lesson 2, Omni Flames! Anyways, I'm gonna go start on 3. It looks pretty short. — ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 03:19, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

Lesson 3: Reliable sources

Reliable sources are required in articles so that information can be verified. To cite a source, simply use <ref>References goes here</ref>. You might want to use a template like {{Cite web}} to help you format your references. The visual editor is great for doing this. Every article should also have a "references" section, containing the {{reflist}} template, so that all of the sources can be displayed.

So what exactly defines reliable?

That's a complicated question. There are some pages that contain list of reliable and unreliable sources that fall under a certain topic, such as WP:VG/RS. However, you can't always rely on this. The important question to ask yourself is this: would I feel comfortable citing this source in an academic paper? If no, then don't use it. Published books, academic papers and most news sites are generally considered reliable. Blogs and wikis are not.

Biographies of living people

We have a strict policy related to the biographies of living people. All information in such articles should be well sourced, especially if it could be considered contentious. If you see any content in a biography of a living person which is unsourced and possibly untrue, remove it immediately.

End of lesson 3

As always, if you've got any questions, feel free to ask! Omni Flames (talk) 23:18, 5 July 2016 (UTC)

@Omni Flames: Alright, I've just finished this one! Ready for 4 whenever. Thank you ever so much once again for helping me out in getting started on Wikipedia! I really enjoy being here. — ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 03:22, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

@FletchXYZ: I really enjoy teaching you

. Anyway, here's the next lesson... Omni Flames (talk) 03:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Lesson 4: Talk pages

Talk pages are what we use to discuss the content on articles and other pages. You can tell that a page is a talk page because you'll see "talk" in the title. For example, Talk:Kansas, is the talk page for the Kansas page. There are also talk pages for other kinds of pages, for example, User talk:FletchXYZ is your personal talk page. See WP:TP and WP:TALK for more details.

Formatting

To keep talk pages clean, we use a method of formatting them, called indenting. This means that each individual comment is written at a different level. You can indent with :, with another colon the more you want to indent. Additionally, we use templates like {{outdent}} when a discussion is outdented too deeply. Each different talk page discussion should have a section heading, you can create one with the "new section" button found on all talk pages. Here's an example of the wikicode of a discussion.

==Should we add [[:File:Tiger.png]] to this article?==
I think we should, it would make the article more interesting. [[User:Example|Example]] ([[User talk:Example|talk]]) 15:15, 1 February 2011 (UTC)
:I disagree, it's not really relevant to this article. [[User:Example2|Example2]] ([[User talk:Example2|talk]]) 17:32, 1 February 2011 (UTC)
::I would support this addition, it would certainly be nice. [[User:Example3|Example3]] ([[User talk:Example3|talk]]) 03:54, 2 February 2011 (UTC)
{{outdent}} Maybe we could, but we should make it small. [[User:Example4|Example4]] ([[User talk:Example4|talk]]) 12:21, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Which comes up as...

Should we add File:Tiger.png to this article?

I think we should, it would make the article more interesting. Example (talk) 15:15, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

I disagree, it's not really relevant to this article. Example2 (talk) 17:32, 1 February 2011 (UTC)

I would support this addition, it would certainly be nice. Example3 (talk) 03:54, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

Maybe we could, but we should make it small. Example4 (talk) 12:21, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

Archiving talk pages

When talk pages get too long, they're often archived to move outdated discussions to another location. These are generally moved to a subpage of the talk page, for example, Talk:Kansas/Archive 1. See WP:ARCHIVE for more information.

End of lesson 4

Any questions? Post them below. Omni Flames (talk) 03:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

It's finally time! I have a question! I'm curious: at what point does a talk page archival bot become something that's good to have? Where can I find one when/if I do need one? — ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 01:19, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

@FletchXYZ: You can set up an archiving bot whenever you like. However, unless you find yourself receiving messages often, it's not really all that useful. When you do choose to set one up, use the instructions at User:MiszaBot/config. Omni Flames (talk) 01:23, 12 July 2016 (UTC)

@Omni Flames: Thanks for the info in your previous reply—I hope to hear back with a fifth lesson soon. — ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ] 06:38, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

I've added the next course below. Omni Flames (talk) 08:55, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

ping Omni Flames (talk) 08:55, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

Lesson 5: Citations

Citations are the method which we used to cite sources on Wikipedia. This is important so that all information can be verified.

How to cite

There are a number of different methods of citing sources. Which method you use doesn't really matter, but it is important that the citation style is consistent within the same article. If you would like to check out some of the most popular methods of citing sources, take a look at Help:Overview of referencing styles.

When to cite

Ideally, citations should be added to all statements within an article, to keep the information verifiable. However, this is often not the case. The most important thing to cite is contentious material which is likely to be challenged. If it is challenged and no reliable source can be found, then it is likely to be moved. Statistics and direct quotes should also always be cited.

What to add in your citations

Generally, you should try to include all of the following things in your citations, if you can find them.

URL (for websites)
Title
Access date
Publishing date
Author/publisher

End of lesson 5

As always, if you've got any questions, I'm right here. Omni Flames (talk) 08:53, 31 July 2016 (UTC)

I'm ready for lesson 6, @Omni Flames:! Thanks for being so helpful. — ƒletch^XYZ [ talk / contribs ]