Template talk:Welcome/Archive 1

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Archive This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

If you use this template on newcomer's pages, please add your signature, otherwise there's not much chance they'll be able to figure out how to ask you questions on your Talk page, as the end of the template suggests they do. Niteowlneils 02:34, 6 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Please consider using {{subst:Welcome}} so the talk pages will not be affected if the template is vandalized. --malathion talk 18:30, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Contents

Is it ok?

I hope it's ok that I put {{PAGENAME}} in. --Sgeo | Talk 20:35, Sep 15, 2004 (UTC)

You removed it yourself. I have added a similar version at Template:Welcome2. I like it. --TIB (talk) 06:08, Sep 29, 2004 (UTC)

Constant changes

For some reason when this template is used a reply tends to end up on this page and so newbies like me tend to then answer on this page. Maybe this has been fixed by the above. --CloudSurfer 00:43, 6 Oct 2004 (UTC)

If you use {{subst:welcome}} instead of just {{welcome}}, it will copy the wikicode of current version of the template to the user page like you had typed it in directly - then the source is more hidden. --Whosyourjudas (talk) 18:56, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Another tool

Also see Template:Sogetsomeoneelsetofixit, created as a result of a laugh on IRC. Not freestanding, but probably useful as part of personal boilerplates. --BesigedB 22:43, 11 Nov 2004 (UTC)

As seen on The Simpsons: "Can't somebody else do it?" :-) JRM 23:45, 2004 Nov 11 (UTC)

Personalized or no?

User:Cantus changed the message to exclude all references to a personal talk page, and had it signed with "the Wikipedia community" instead. I'd like to see that discussed on the talk page here, first. For one thing, I don't agree: I like making the note personal, to show we're all induhviduals and all. People feel much more at home if they're personally welcomed than by some amorphous "Wikipedia community".

Maybe we need two welcome templates, if people care that much? JRM 09:51, 2004 Dec 6 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm partial to the personal touch as well. I have no problem with others welcoming on behalf of the community though, so two templates would be fine by me. Although if you're going to welcome on behalf of the community you might as well do it in software, i.e. initalise the talk page with a generic welcome message. Doesn't seem as friendly to me though. --fvw* 14:25, 2004 Dec 23 (UTC)

Problem with using subst:welcome

Whenever I have used subst:welcome since the update of wikipedia to v1.4, the three tildes in the message come out as NaodW29-nowiki1b6092c57e159d0500000001 and the four tildes in the message as NaodW29-nowiki1b6092c57e159d0500000002. Why does this happen? -- Graham ☺ | Talk 01:48, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)

This isn't unique to template:welcome, I've already reported this at the technical section of the village pump. --fvw* 02:17, 2004 Dec 28 (UTC)
I've replaced the ~<nowiki>~</nowiki>~ with &#x007e;&#x007e;&#x007e; on {{welcome2}}. Hopefully that will fix it. Alphax (t) (c) (e) 05:39, Jan 17, 2005 (UTC)

Add image links to template?

As new users having problems with understanding image use policies is fairly common, what do people think about adding something relevent to the template? The most simple would be to just add a link to Wikipedia:Images to the list of useful links. (The "Wikipedia:Picture_tutorial" doesn't make clear about Wikipedia:Image copyright tags and such issues.) Other thoughts? -- Infrogmation 17:41, 28 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Seconded. Ground 01:54, 10 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Add section about copyright?

Since we often have problems over editors not understanding the use of copyrighted material and Wikipedia, I suggest we have a section on this template so they can be made aware of it from the first. I know it is in other tutorial pages, but it needs looking for. I will knock something up over the next day or two and post it on my talk page for discussion. Apwoolrich 08:25, 19 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Protected

As this template was recently vandalized, and this important template is visible to many new users on their own talk pages, I have protected the template. Anyone without admin access who has reason to make any legitimate changes to the template please post the suggested changes here in the talk page or contact one of the Wikipedia:Administrators. -- Infrogmation 23:35, 20 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Why?

I think we should add a short explination of why we are posting this message on users talk pages. For example, "Hello. I'm writing to welcome you to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers..." Hyacinth 20:44, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Why do you need to explain that you're welcoming people while doing it? Could you imagine "Hello. I'm writing to inform you that blanking articles is frowned upon..." This looks needlessly verbose. The welcome message is not a formal letter, after all— "hello, and welcome to Wikipedia!" sounds like a fine message to me. Why do you want to see this? Are you getting feedback from confused newbies? JRM 21:42, 2005 Apr 6 (UTC)
Just one, so far. I associate this sort of talk with informal messages such as email and talk pages, etc. ("just thought I'd drop you a note..."). Does every newcomer get the welcome message? I think the message needs to specify that users are not being singled out for their new behaviour (this being implied by the wealth of how to information provided). We want to say, "Welcome all to Wikipedia!", not "You're not from around here are you?" Hyacinth 03:08, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Every newcomer who gets noticed by someone else gets the message; registered users more so than anons. They are singled out for behaviour, but in the best possible way: "Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay." You'd have to be a pretty paranoid newbie to suspect people were leaving you this message in bad faith, just so they could beat you over the head with the rulebook (and note that those links are all tutorials and how-tos, none of it of the form "don't do this or you're in for it"). It's true that that's overkill sometimes, but when it's not needed (a newbie gets it right from the start, or the newbie isn't a newbie but some experienced anon who finally registered) I think it will be safely ignored.
What's wrong with informal, anyway? I should think making it more formal gives people the cold shoulder. Compare these:
We've noticed that you still owe us $132. We're sure you just forgot to pay it. Please pay this amount by February 6th, because a delay will add $2 in overdue charges. Of course, if this letter reaches you after you've already paid, you can ignore it.
to
Your debt amounts to $132. By March 28th, it was still unfulfilled. If this amount is not paid by February 6th, a $2 penalty will be added. Please make sure to pay in a timely fashion in the future.
Which one you would rather receive depends partly on personal preference, but a company that wishes to maintain a productive relationship with its customers should probably try to first option initially. JRM 11:01, 2005 Apr 8 (UTC)

Q: "Does every newcomer get the welcome message?" A: No. Hyacinth 23:27, 9 Apr 2005 (UTC)

How about "Hello. This is a welcome to Wikipedia..." Hyacinth 02:58, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
This misses a crucial element: I welcome you to Wikipedia, personally. It also sounds a bit like "this is your final warning". :-) I'd sooner go with your first alternative ("I'm writing to welcome you to Wikipedia") even if I think that's overkill.
I don't know if it does us any good talking about it, though, because it seems to be a case of potaytoe, potahtoe. Maybe there are real advantages to one over the other, but we're probably not going to settle it with arguments.
You can always try just writing what you like to see in a different page and ask people what they think of it and whether it should replace the main welcome message. Or you can use a new welcome message yourself. You can also simply edit the existing message, of course, but then some people will just revert you for hysterical reasons, and they probably won't bother with the talk page.
I think "show, don't tell" works best, here. Write a completely new welcome message up somewhere and solicit opinions. JRM 11:01, 2005 Apr 8 (UTC) For example, like it's done below. (D'oh!) JRM 11:04, 2005 Apr 8 (UTC)

Examples:

  • Hi Hyacinth, Thanks for the nice welcome. How did you find me, and why did you pick me to send that message? Is it because I forgot to add an edit summary in one of the minor edits I made recently? Again, thanks and hi. -- Shreevatsa 19:45, 6 Apr 2005 (UTC)
  • Hiya Hyacinth (that sounds weird) and thanks for signing my page. How do you find out who the new members are? Fantom 09:53, Apr 9, 2005 (UTC)

Proposed Revision

This is a proposed revision, changing some awkward wording (it said "I hope you like the place"?) and making the Topical Index link less intimidating ("If you're ready" seems a bit elitist.) -Grick(talk to me) 02:14, Apr 8, 2005 (UTC)

---

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like it here and decide to stay. Here are a few links you may find useful:

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~~~. Four tildes (~~~~) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!

I like it. JRM 11:03, 2005 Apr 8 (UTC)

further suggestion for the second sentence

Nowiki : Hello, and [[Wikipedia:Welcome, newcomers|welcome]] to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions, '''{{PAGENAME}}''' ! I hope you like it here and decide to stay. /nowiki. (adapted from fr:Modèle:Bienvenue) --Theo F 15:33, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)