Wikipedia:Adopt-a-user/Adoptee's Area/Experiences

This is the page for our Adoptees to relate their own experiences with the Adopt-a-user program, what they found good or bad about their Adoption experience. Of particular interest is how to get the best out of your adopter and how to improve the program in general. Feel free to comment and ask questions on each one, but remember this is not a talk page, so keep to the point. Also this page will be organised in a subject order, and may be formatted from time to time to allow for ease of reading.

For immediate or urgent problems – please leave a message at Wikipedia Talk:Adopt-a-User.

Getting most out of adoption
As an adoptee by Lethaniol the uber-adopter himself, I got a great deal of help and encouragement from him. I guess the Number One thing an adoptee should remember is that there is really no question too simple or too involved for your adopter. I have asked Lethaniol some embarrassingly simple questions, I have also asked him some questions that have almost stumped him. I suspect that he had to get some help with templates, but there's no evidence of it.... 8^) -Dan (AKA NDCompuGeek 10:30, 20 December 2006 (UTC))

Absent adopter
Hello everyone, I’ve been recently adopted by a very nice and helpful adopter, but the problem is that he’s paying very little attention to me. I was adopted over a month ago and so far he responds to my queries after an average of 3 to 4 days, last massage was posted a week ago, and to this moment didn’t receive an answer. The adopter is very kind and informative, but since I’m here almost everyday I’d rather have someone more available to adopt me. I don’t know what I can do about it, I don’t want to offend my adopter. Does anyone have any suggestions? By the way, at this point I’d prefer to stay anonymous, thank you. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 80.230.191.25 (talk) 22:43, 16 December 2006 (UTC).


 * My suggestion = explain to your adopter that though they are really helpful, that because they are not on all the time, but you are, that you would like a co-adopter (a second user to adopt you), so you can ask that user a questions if the other is not around. A number of adoptees have more than one adopter - either to help out a new adopter, or because an adopter is not around all that often. So if you want a second adopter - just put the Template:Adoptme back on your userpage, check with any new adopter that they are on regularly, and away you go. Hope that helps :):) Lethaniol 23:57, 16 December 2006 (UTC)

What is your adopter's name? Basketball110 (talk) 03:58, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
 * He said he wants to stay anon --mboverload @ 06:01, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Suggestions for an improved service
As for the "Adoptee's Experience page", I wholly support the idea. Remembering that we're newbies, some of the suggestions might be somewhat simplistic (like: have online "classes", or have a dedicated IRC channel [with a tutorial on how to use IRC]....) to involved (like: develop a real-time way to converse with the adopter, possibly through MSN or Yahoo Chat or something like that, or have a database of prewritten answers to the common questions, something along the lines of a FAQ but maybe more involved....). Some users are newbies to the Internet in general, some of us have a lot of Internet experience but are new to the Wiki community. -Dan (AKA NDCompuGeek 10:30, 20 December 2006 (UTC))
 * Perhaps adopters can give personal contacts to adoptees through email. --Deryck C. 09:01, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

Another point for "What Adoption Is"
Adoption is also a chance to make an experienced friend on Wikipedia. True, the relationship of "Adoptee" and "Adopter" might not be forever, but the chance to make and keep a friend so early in your Wikipedia lifetime is priceless. Use this opportunity to build a relationship with your adopter, not just asking him/her for technical questions, but also to get to know him/her. You'll be better for it! - NDCompuGeek 21:02, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Thats an excellent point. Don't forget also that Adopters can learn from Adoptees! One of my adoptees has taken to Wikipedia like the proverbial fish to water and is now involved in areas of the project that I have little experience in. I have no doubt that I will be consulting him for assistance before too long. Rockpock  e  t  08:02, 2 January 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, this is true. My adopter, Kerotan, is one of my bast wiki-friends. Their friendship is everlasting. Mm40 know starts crying because he's about to graduate. Mm40 (talk | contribs) 23:50, 23 September 2008 (UTC)

Support, Security, Constructive Feedback
I was adopted about 2 months ago,and forming a friendship with your mentor/adopter is a wonderful idea though shouldn't be automatically expected. Many Wikipedians have busy, busy lives and full lives, too. My mentor/adopter has been supportive, kind, while offering me constructive feedback. That is what I expected from a mentor/adopter when I was seeking adoption, nothing more. A friendship would be an added bonus. My mentor/adopter is tacitly distant, yet available. I don't even know their first name, and that's fine. I sense that a friendship, even formed over the venue of the Internet, is not what I will seek with my mentor/adopter, and again, that's fine. I hope I have been helpful about the adoptee/adopter experience.--irshgrl500 (talk) 14:01, 15 July 2009 (UTC)

My experience
I found being adopted very helpful to learning the various "sides" of Wikipedia, whether it be anti-vandalism, article writing, or various other projects. Being an adopter, in turn, allowed me to learn more also! It has overall been a good experience. Hardtofindaname 08:53, 7 September 2009 (UTC)

Adoption
As pointed out by other adoptee's here, adoption is not just about having someone to run to if one has a question. More importantly, it's about establishing trust with one's mentor, maybe even a friendship, crucial in early Wiki Development as I've found. Just knowing that someone's there willing to help does boost confidence. Adoption was one of my better choices when I was getting started on wiki.  IShadowed  ✰  09:16, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

adopt
I've only just joined Wikipedia.