Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/Ale jrb bot/old


 * The following discussion is an archived debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.

User:Ale_jrb_bot
As per consensus, this bot has been withdrawn and can be removed from the list.

The Background
When I created my first bot, it was a hobby project - just to see if I could. It has been a while since my first one, and in the time between then and now, I have become quite a dedicated Wikipedia user and editor. The bot that I am proposing will, in my opinion, make Wikipedia a more friendsly place to be, may encourage more users to edit, and in the long run should help Wikipedia to become a better palce than it is now. That is, after all, the point of a collaborative encyclopedia.

When I first joined, Wikipedia seemed big and confusing. I am all for signing up, so I actually signed up to the Wikipedia to make an edit in an article I liked the look of and knew a bit about. This meant that, as of my sign-up date, I had not yet edited Wikipedia. For a new user, in my opinion, Wikipedia is a large and confusing place to be. I personally am still learning now, having been around for a couple of months and made almost a thousands edits of various pages, so when I first joined, I will be honest: I was a bit lost.

I found the article I had wanted to edit reasonably quickly. I clicked the "Edit this page" button - something I had not done before - and was displayed with a nice big page of Wiki markup. Knowing truthfully near to nothing about how Wikipedia worked, and then seeing a page of some advanced markup - tables and all the rest of it - I took a step back and decided to do some research. Remember that I had still not made an edit, and as such was not on the 'Wiki-radar'. It took some time to track down even a small amount of information about how to edit - and it was aimed at beginners. This was great! However, it didn't help much as I wasn't trying to do much - I was trying to find out how to add something to a table, not learn how to bold things and so on. It took a long time more before I felt able to edit my article.

I did so. All was well, and making use of a huge amount of trial and error, reading the markup from other pages, and making a great use of the "Preview" button, I managed to make my edit, which was of a reasonable size. The next day, when I logged on, I was greeted by the "You have new messages" message. Lo and behold, I had got a welcome message. This was great! It allowed nice quick access to the most useful policies, help files and all the rest of it. It was great - I learnt quickly, using it as quite a major resource, and I got to where I am today.

Behind the Bot
Now everyone has read my nice history of me, I get to why I feel quite strongly about my bot, or at least - the idea and drive behind it.

For me personally, the Welcome message was great. It allows nice quick access to everything a new user would need - after all, that is why it was designed. Even if a user doesn't intend to make large edits, and only needs simple stuff that they can find by trial and error, the short time taken to say 'Hello - you're welcome here, have a great time!' makes everyone feel good, even if they refuse to admit it. This is all well and good - and why the welcome template exists. However, now I get on to what I think is the problem with the system.

In general, I think it is agreed that users kind of require an edit or two before they get welcomed. This seems to be for two reasons - it puts them on the 'Wiki-radar' and lets people know they are here, and if they turn out to be a vandal - it saves time and effort on the part of the welcomer. I disagree strongly with this idea.

I believe that a user should be welcomed the moment they create their account. This makes them feel like someone is looking after them. The point of the welcome message is to say 'Hello!' and to give reference links to the help files and so on. In fact, being welcomed may even prompt them to edit! Even if they do turn out to be a vandal, if the welcomer is a bot, this does not waste any 'effort' as such.

Now, I have made a table of some arguments or points that people may disagree on, and I have said why I think this shouldn't/doesn't matter or isn't important.

Onwards!
That about concludes my points. I am fully open to all suggestions, and look forward to hearing people's comments, criticisms and suggestions. Feel free to post on this page, which I regularly check, or post a message on my talk page. More information about the bot itself can be found on its user page or you can ask questions on its talk page to.

Note that you can access this page, or discuss further, on or from the Village_pump (proposals) page and the Wikipedia talk:Welcome, newcomers page.

Thanks very much for reading. Regards to all, A le_Jrb talk 19:18, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * This bot would need wider community support, possibly discuss at Village pump. If I remember correctly, automated welcoming of users has not been a popular idea. Martin 19:32, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * OK then - it was just a project to see if it worked, and I thought I might as well see if it was wanted. As it is not, I guess should I remove it? Thanks. A le_Jrb talk 19:43, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Also, if I were to discuss this, or at least ask about it, which section of the Village Pump would it go under. I have never found a policy that regards welcoming, but nor is it really a proposal - I am not suggesting everyone should do something, so where would it go? Thanks. A le_Jrb talk 19:56, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * You could try on Village pump (proposals), I would also put some pointers to the main discussion (maybe this discussion) on Wikipedia talk:Welcome, newcomers for example. Though I think this suggestion was unpopular previously, things may have changed, it's always worth seeing what current consensus is. Martin 21:16, 5 September 2006 (UTC)


 * Thanks for your thoughts, you were totally corret, but I thought I might as well have a go anyway. Until another time, A le_Jrb talk 21:46, 6 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I'd rather have user greet new users. They alrady use standardized templates, this would only make it more cold and less meaningful. IMO, I don't really think its that great of a way to greet people. Voice -of- All  03:03, 7 September 2006 (UTC)


 * OPERATOR WITHDRAWN —  xaosflux  Talk 03:29, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.