Template talk:Welcome

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I'd like to suggest removing the "Thank you for your contributions" line from this, since it's valuable to add this to the talk pages of new users who may not have contributed anything to the wiki just yet. Thoughts? - Fandomgeographies (talk) 20:25, 19 February 2019 (UTC)

Oh, is this actually being used? I got this on my page as like some weird kind of spam from a new user. I agree that if we're going to use it, the contributions line should be removed. All logged in users have a link to their own contributions at the top right of every page, after all. - Hoopla (talk) 21:09, 19 February 2019 (UTC)
I think it's been used intermittently, and there were some recent revisions to the template. It's a useful way to get those links to new editors - in the past, I've typed up my own welcome message, and I know various editors make a habit of leaving messages for new users as they're able. So I hadn't been using it, but did today for the first time. - Fandomgeographies (talk) 21:12, 19 February 2019 (UTC)
@User talk:Fandomgeographies You only welcome users if they make at least one contribution. Vermont (talk) 06:56, 7 March 2019 (UTC)
Vermont, while that may be common practice on other wikis, as far as I'm aware, we don't have a set policy on the usage of this template. We can certainly discuss here whether or not retaining the template content as-is makes the most sense, but personally, I feel that the links provided are useful for editors who haven't contributed anything to the wiki yet, and it would be just fine to use the template in that way if an editor wanted to do so. Other editors are welcome to weigh in, and please feel free to point me to documentation on the template's usage if I'm missing something. - Fandomgeographies (talk) 19:03, 7 March 2019 (UTC)
I'm in agreement with Fandomgeographies and Hoopla that it would be good to make this template more inclusive by removing the "contributions" line. I would also like to advocate for removing the red border as it's very... in-your-face. It doesn't really seem suitable for a welcome post. --enchantedsleeper (talk) 20:15, 07 March 2019 (UTC)
The red border has been removed. MinecraftFan (talk) 23:22, 7 March 2019 (UTC)

Do we even need this welcome message?

I finally thought to look into the history of this template, and it used to be a banner for the front page until MinecraftFan made it into the welcome message it currently is in this edit, which was their seventh edit to the wiki.

Here's what I don't like about this template and its use:

  • Because it's not personalized, it comes off as very spammy and, worse, insincere. New visitors who want basic information can find it and a general welcome at the new visitor's portal! Their talk pages should be for talking to them, not spamming them with templates.
    • When I joined Fanlore, the first welcome messages I got were personal notes from experienced Fanlore editors thanking me specifically for my edits. This was very nice and encouraging, and is one of the reasons I felt I could stick around! Additionally, it made me feel like I really could just approach any of the longtime/regular editors with questions and concerns, because they had already reached out to me.
    • MinecraftFan didn't ask if we wanted a welcome message nor, as far as I can tell, check to see if we needed one — they just made it, and then starting putting it on the pages of all the users they could find.... including me. What about my userpage and talk page indicated to MinecraftFan that I needed this welcome message? I'd been editing for six months! Clearly MinecraftFan didn't check and just put it on all the talk pages they could find.
    • Mine was even added at the top of my talk page like that would fool me into thinking it had always been there or something, and I had to move it down to where it belongs. Now it sits there, taunting me with how very dumb and unnecessary it is.
  • Furthermore, I think that MinecraftFan's creation and use of this template is deceptive and potentially damaging.
    • MinecraftFan is still very obviously learning how our site works and how it differs from Wikipedia and other wikis, yet the welcome message invites new editors to ask MinecraftFan for help with the wiki.
    • MinecraftFan is too new of a user to be a useful resource for learning how to use the site the way established editors do and integrate into the community and has had almost no contact with other editors because the vast majority of MinecraftFan's edits and new pages have been made without any solicitation of options or discussion of best practices, up to and including revising important notices and demanding notability/sources where neither are needed.
    • By using the welcome message frequently, MinecraftFan gives the impression that they're some kind of established authority on the wiki.
  • Again, I want to stress that the community had no input on this template. It was just created out of the blue by someone who hadn't even contributed to Fanlore yet, overriding the Fanlore banner that used to live on this page that aethel created.
  • If we decide we need an impersonal template to welcome new people for some reason, I would expect that decision to either come from the committee/gardeners or for us to have a long talk page discussion about what should be on it and who can use it, because for many people it would be the first real contact they have with our community.

I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts. - Hoopla (talk) 19:56, 8 March 2019 (UTC)

Wow, I had no idea that MCF actually overwrote an existing template for this. That's the most egregious aspect of this in my view. On one hand I'm glad they're enthusiastic and want to make people feel welcome. However, it seems they're jumping in too fast (as Hoopla stated) without first absorbing the community standards of Fanlore and discussing proposed ideas.
I agree that a personally-typed message is way better suited for a small wiki like this one. --Assassin J (talk) 20:15, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
Agreed! A written welcome is more appropriate. You could just say "welcome to Fanlore", " great editing" and "contact me". Vermont (talk) 21:13, 8 March 2019 (UTC)
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