Topic on Talk:Growth/Communities/How to interact with newcomers/2023

Reply to questions asked because they are specific

5
Summary by Trizek (WMF)

Changed for a better sentence.

Iniquity (talkcontribs)

What did you mean here? We changed this phrase to "Even if something seems obvious to you, it may not be clear to a newcomer. Approach every question as if answering to yourself." Is that the right meaning? If isnt, feel free to revert it :)

Trizek (WMF) (talkcontribs)

The meaning of the initial sentence is more details that matters, like the article, the editor used, what is the impact of the change, etc.

An example may make things being clearer: a user asks to add an image on an article. You could provide a reply like "go to Commons, upload the image, get the image title, paste it between brackets and save". It could be tempting to have the same reply for everyone. However, it won't cover all cases. What if the image has to go into an infobox, a gallery? What is the image is not accepted on Commons? This is why every question is specific.

The sentence was clearly unclear and I would be very happy to know your ideas to improve it!

Iniquity (talkcontribs)

Oh, I get it, thanks :) Then it can be something like this: 'Do not answer with general phrases, ask clarifying questions. Each user may have their own problem, which is different from similar ones.'

Trizek (WMF) (talkcontribs)

Yes! I like a lot the way you wrote it. Can I use this sentence on the help page?

Iniquity (talkcontribs)

Of course, if my English is suitable for this :)