Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers/rewrite

The following is a proposed Wikipedia policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption.

This page in a nutshell: Don't be hostile toward fellow editors; newcomers in particular. Assume good faith and respond to problematic edits in a clear and polite manner.

Wikipedia is improved through the work of both regular editors and newcomers. All of us were new editors once, and in some areas, even the most experienced are still newcomers. Treat newcomers with kindness and patience—nothing scares valuable contributors away faster than hostility.

The first edits of many now-experienced editors were test edits, or unsourced and unencyclopedic additions. It is unlikely for a new editor to be familiar with Wikipedia's markup language and its policies, guidelines, and community standards.

Initial interactions sets the expectation for the entire community. A welcoming atmosphere invites new editors to learn and grow. A harsh one fosters an idea that Wikipedia is unkind and rigid.

So next time you feel frustrated with a newcomer’s mistake, see it as an opportunity to nurture future contributors. Wikipedia needs a constant stream of new information, experience, and ideas.^[a] Guide newcomers patiently and thoroughly: kindness and patience is a necessity for Wikipedia's survival.

How to avoid biting

Improve, don't remove. If something doesn't meet Wikipedia's standards, first try to fix the problem rather than removing them.
As always, assume good faith. You can't blame someone for breaking a rule they weren't aware of. We were all newcomers once.
Avoid intensifiers such as exclamation points(!!!!) and words such as terrible, dumb, stupid, bad, poor, etc.
Explain reverts via edit summary or in their user talk page.
Avoid excessive Wikipedia jargon. When linking to policies or guidelines, do so in whole phrases, not wiki shorthand.
Templated messages may seem unwelcoming. Consider writing a personalised one.
Avoid filling a newly created page with maintenance templates or nominating them for deletion. Wait a few days to see how the page evolves first.
Don't join a pile of people pointing out problems, even when each comment is kindly phrased.^[b]
Remind newcomers that everything is saved. When their pages or edits are deleted, they can request undeletion, or recover them from the page history.
Do not call newcomers disparaging names like "sockpuppet" or "meatpuppet". Point them towards relevant policies instead.

It is okay not to be aware of guidelines

Shortcut

WP:IJME

Ignorance of guidelines can excuse mistakes. To a newcomer, the large number of Wikipedia policies and guidelines can be overwhelming. As all editors are encouraged to be bold, unfamiliarity with the rules can be expected, but willfully disregarding them is not.

I have bitten someone—what do I do?

If you believe that you have bitten someone, don't worry about it too much. Mistakes are human nature, and simple steps are available to correct them.

Apologize, explaining what motivated you to bite.^[c]
Guide the newcomer through Wikipedia processes and reflect on what you could have done differently.
Find something of value in the experience, and move on. Extract the wisdom that may have been unintentionally veiled.

Templates

{{this is a new user}}
{{subst:Uw-bite}}, user warning
Wikipedia:Welcoming committee/Welcome templates

Notes

^ In an informal 2006 study, the articles Alan Alda and Anaconda (Python distribution) had their user contributions by word count ranked. 6 of the former's top 10 editors had less than 25 edits, and the majority of the latter's text was made by a user who had made "only 100" edits.^[1]
^ Hordes of comments that point out problems nicely is one reason why many find StackOverflow toxic.
^ Harvard Heart Letter has a blog post on effective apologies.

^ Swartz, Aaron (2006-09-04), "Who writes Wikipedia?", Raw Thought, retrieved 2009-04-21

[2] In an informal 2006 study, the articles Alan Alda and Anaconda (Python distribution) had their user contributions by word count ranked. 6 of the former's top 10 editors had less than 25 edits, and the majority of the latter's text was made by a user who had made "only 100" edits.^[1]

[3] Hordes of comments that point out problems nicely is one reason why many find StackOverflow toxic.

[4] Harvard Heart Letter has a blog post on effective apologies.

[Swartz06who-1] Swartz, Aaron (2006-09-04), "Who writes Wikipedia?", Raw Thought, retrieved 2009-04-21

[a]

[b]

[c]

[1]

How to avoid biting

It is okay not to be aware of guidelines

I have bitten someone—what do I do?

Templates

See also

Notes