Growth/Communities/How to interact with newcomers/es

Esta guía ha sido creada para ayudar a las personas experimentadas de las wikis a relacionarse mejor con las personas nuevas, especialmente en los espacio de consultas o en las páginas de preguntas y respuestas (Q&A). También puede servir de ayuda en las interacciones de persona a persona, y en la labor de mentoría.

Este documento reúne las mejores prácticas de varios sitios web (wikis de Wikimedia, otros sitios web de preguntas y respuestas...) y reflexiones de perfiles experimentados de Wikimedia que interactúan con las personas recién llegadas. Puedes aprender más sobre esos hallazgos en Phabricator.

Guía


¿Cómo mantener interacciones satisfactorias

 * Da un trato siempre amable, educado y paciente, aunque la persona recién llegada se olvide de ello.
 * Inicia tu respuesta diciendo "¡Hola y bienvenido/a!"
 * Asegúrate de que entiendes la pregunta. No intentes adivinar cuál es el problema. Pedir aclaraciones puede ser apropiado; puede ayudarte a dar una respuesta más precisa. "¿Qué intentas hacer?" puede ser una buena pregunta si no entiendes lo que te pregunta tu aprendiz.
 * Check which editor the newcomer uses (2010 wikitext, visual, mobile, 2017 wikitext, etc.), and provide a reply for that editor. Asking the user to use an editor they don't know will be a burden for them.
 * Reconoce tus límites: a veces puede que no sepas cómo responder, especialmente en áreas técnicas o fuera de tus temas favoritos. No dudes en pedir ayuda a otras personas con más experiencia en determinadas áreas. Si el mensaje se publica en tu página de discusión y necesitas tiempo para escribir una respuesta, añade un mensaje breve para indicar que responderás más tarde.
 * Responde con honestidad: si la petición no es realista o factible en tu wiki, o en general está fuera de tema, dilo y explica por qué. Por ejemplo, puede que no sea productivo para la persona novata trabajar en un contenido que puede ser borrado en sólo unos días. Sin embargo, explicar por qué el contenido puede ser eliminado puede ayudar a esa persona a evitar futuros problemas. Invítale a trabajar en otra cosa.
 * Las personas que acaban de llegar a tu wiki pueden sentirse frustradas o enfadadas por diversos motivos. Lo más probable es que sus quejas no sean contra ti. Mantén la calma e intenta comprender su situación.
 * Si está claro que la discusión no va a ninguna parte, ciérrala educadamente.
 * Diviértete. No afrontes la tarea de mentoría como una carga. Si no tienes tiempo para atender una petición o no estás de humor, deja que otro mentor o mentora se encargue de ella.
 * Observa las páginas de discusión del resto de personas mentoras. Si no vas a estar disponible un tiempo, puedes avisarles para que puedan ocuparse de tu página mientras estás alejado de la wiki.



¿Cómo construir buenas respuestas?

 * Explica
 * No derives primero a la documentación, mejor explica el proceso. Una respuesta es mejor que un enlace a la respuesta, aunque sólo sea una frase seguida de un enlace. Cita la información importante de otras páginas que enlaces. Evita obligar a las personas a leer muchas páginas largas.
 * Ejemplo: "Para añadir una imagen, tendrás que subirla a otro sitio web llamado Wikimedia Commons. Después podrás colocarla en tu artículo. Es un poco confuso, así que lee atentamente este enlace".


 * Detalla los siguientes pasos
 * Deja respuestas que indiquen a la persona qué hacer a continuación. No te limites a responder a la pregunta concreta.


 * Personaliza
 * No respondas con frases generales, haz preguntas aclaratorias. Cada persona puede tener su propio problema, que es diferente al de otras aunque sean similares. Proporciona ejemplos cuando sea posible.


 * Simplicidad antes que complejidad
 * Evita la jerga y los acrónimos. Puedes introducirlos progresivamente enlazándolos. Evita sobrecargar a la persona recién llegada con información no relacionada con su pregunta.


 * Guíale
 * Por ejemplo, si alguien pregunta cómo añadir una imagen en un artículo nuevo, pero la acción que esa persona debe realizar primero es añadir fuentes, dígale que añada primero las fuentes (y cómo hacerlo). Además, prométele que le explicarás cómo añadir una imagen más adelante.


 * Crea una conversación
 * Ask the newcomer a question to try to engage them in conversation.
 * For instance, if they ask, "Is it possible for me to write a new article on Wikipedia?", you can say, "Yes, you can create a new article. However, that's one of the hardest kinds of edits to do on Wikipedia. What do you want to write your article about? Maybe there are some easier tasks you can try related to your interests, and then you'll learn the skills you need to write the article."


 * Ping
 * Make sure the newcomer is aware of the reply, by any method. For instance, on wikitext talk pages, mention the user when you reply.
 * At the moment, due to the technical implementation of talk pages, newcomers do not see when somebody answered their question. You also can switch on failed and successful mention notifications to check if you mention has been correctly sent.


 * Explain how to reply
 * Many newcomers don't understand how to use talk pages. Therefore, you can include something like: 'To reply to my message, click "", then write your message below mine. Then publish the page.' They don't need to understand indentation or signatures yet. You can teach them that in your next reply, maybe by using a template.


 * Follow-up
 * If possible, follow up on the request by checking back later: the newcomer may ask about something else or need further clarification. Newcomers may reply in an unexpected way: they may not understand how to respond, how to add their signature, or how to ping a user.
 * When you explain something, ask the newcomer if your answer has helped them. The newcomer will feel more welcomed, and you will get some information to improve your experience. If the conversation ends, remind to the newcomer that you're still available if needed.


 * Write your reply
 * Say hello!
 * If possible, respond in a reasonable time. Newcomers may not log in often or may not have email notifications enabled. They may not be accustomed to a community like Wikimedia, where discussions can sometimes involve users from many time zones. Check back in the forum occasionally for any questions that have gone unanswered for 24 hours.
 * Pay attention to how you reply; check your spelling.

Explain, or do the change myself?
One of the goals is to help newcomers who struggle with the interface or markup. It may sometimes be easier to make very complicated edits yourself instead of explaining how to do so. That's the case for multi-step processes and complex wiki-syntax. Be honest and tell the newcomer that it is a complicated edit "even for an experienced user". But explain the steps you've been through so they can learn and reproduce them afterward.

Make your choice based on your own experience and your discussions with other helpers. But it is often more rewarding for a newcomer to understand what to do and apply it themselves, rather than having it done for them. Teaching is less efficient in the short term but increases editor-retention in the long term.

Rely on other community members
Operating a dedicated help forum is a collective project. It depends on a wide range of helpers. All have individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as a finite amount of available time and energy.

Coordinate with other helpers to share your experience and best practices. Be open to advise from other helpers when they offer it.

Take care of the other people who reply to you. Thank and guide people who try to help. Thank people who help a lot.

Don't forget to keep the community informed of your efforts; it will help to recruit new helpers.

Examples
Here are some hypothetical examples based on common replies found on several Wikipedias.

''' How can I add an image I have on my computer to an article? '''


 * Check on the help page where you will be guided.
 * Check on the help page where you will be guided.


 * Hello! Anyone can reuse Wikipedia. Wikipedia respects copyright laws, so it can't accept every image on Wikipedia. It depends on the topic, and also on who has created that image. Which article do you want to illustrate? Are you the author of the image you want to use? If not, does someone else have the copyright to that image?
 * Hello! Anyone can reuse Wikipedia. Wikipedia respects copyright laws, so it can't accept every image on Wikipedia. It depends on the topic, and also on who has created that image. Which article do you want to illustrate? Are you the author of the image you want to use? If not, does someone else have the copyright to that image?

''' My article has been deleted and that's scandalous! '''


 * That's your fault: you should have read the help pages first. Now you know that you can't do everything you want on Wikipedia, especially trying to promote the topic you've chosen.
 * That's your fault: you should have read the help pages first. Now you know that you can't do everything you want on Wikipedia, especially trying to promote the topic you've chosen.


 * Hello and sorry for the bad experience you had. Based on the information available, it seems that your article didn't include any sources. Wikipedia articles are based on published sources so that readers can verify the information. That's the most important issue with your article. I've searched for published sources about your topic, but I haven't found any. Do you have sources than can be used? If there are no such sources available, then it may be too soon for Wikipedia to have an article on this subject.
 * Hello and sorry for the bad experience you had. Based on the information available, it seems that your article didn't include any sources. Wikipedia articles are based on published sources so that readers can verify the information. That's the most important issue with your article. I've searched for published sources about your topic, but I haven't found any. Do you have sources than can be used? If there are no such sources available, then it may be too soon for Wikipedia to have an article on this subject.