FamilySearch Wiki:Welcoming committee

Welcoming committee members welcome new users and help them get started in various ways. There are no requirements for joining us except a good attitude and a willingness to help newcomers get started on FamilySearch Research Wiki.

Welcome new users
Our main activity is to welcome new users. To do that we post a welcome message on their talk pages (if they do not have a talk page yet, create one for them!). It is best to post a personalized greeting written by you, but to save time you can use a welcome template.

Welcome templates
The standard template is . To use it, type this on a new user's talk page:

== Welcome! ==

This will make a section titled "Welcome!" and place the welcome message under it. Be sure to place greetings on each user's talk page, not their user page. This will ensure they will receive the "You have new messages" automatic alert.

Welcoming etiquette
The edit summary of the welcome edit should simply say "Welcome!" The edit should not be a minor edit.

Before you welcome users, it is recommended that you check their previous contributions. Some new users use their accounts solely to vandalize or break rules in other ways. If the user has vandalized a page, you should add a warning to their talk page. Please don't add a template that simply thanks a vandal for their contributions.

In addition to this, if you notice any unintentional mistakes in the contributions of new users, you may wish to bring it to their attention in the welcome message.

Personalize your message
The best way to show someone that they are really welcome is by being open to their needs. Look at their contributions, and personalize your message accordingly. Examples:
 * If the new user created a new page, but had trouble with that, point them to creating a page.
 * If the new user seems to be interested in a particular topic, point them to the appropriate WikiProject. To find a good fit, go to FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject, and select the subject area from the directory. It's often a good idea to just use a more general WikiProject, before you recommend a more specific WikiProject, check out their talk page to see how active they are. Directing a new user to a stale project will only end up frustrating them.

Follow up
If the new user responds to the welcome message on your talk page, follow up with more help. You may wish to suggest adoption.

Most welcome templates instruct users to place a request on their talk page if they need assistance, so it may be beneficial to check Category:Contributors looking for help frequently.

Help improve newcomer resources
In addition to greeting new users, we also design and help maintain pages specifically to assist newcomers in various ways. The pages we help operate and/or maintain are:


 * FamilySearch Wiki:Welcoming committee/Welcome to FamilySearch Wiki — main welcome page.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Introduction -- FamilySearch Wiki introduction page.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Tutorial -- FamilySearch Wiki editing tutorial.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Questions — the "where to ask questions" directory.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:FAQ — quick answers to the most common questions.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:New contributors' help page — a place for new users to post questions and get answers by volunteers who monitor or frequent the page.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Help desk — where volunteers answer questions on how to use Wikipedia. Many new users go there for help too.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Adopt-a-User — where a new user can be adopted by an experienced user who will be his/her mentor.
 * FamilySearch Wiki:Your first article — with information about how to create a good first article.

Discuss plans
As an active team, we discuss and implement new projects from time to time. We also discuss new users in general and try to keep in touch with the experience a typical new user is likely to be subjected to upon discovering and participating in FamilySearch Wiki. Sometimes the treatment they receive from veterans can be confusing or even traumatic, so we try to come up with ways to prevent this sort of thing. To participate, please see the talk page.

Where to find new users
Here are some ways to find new users:
 * Check FamilySearch Wiki's account creation log - this is especially useful with a quick link to their talk page, as well as an "at-a-glance" sign to tell if they've probably been welcomed already: their talk page isn't red linked!
 * Check the Newbies' contributions page and help newbies contribute if they are having trouble
 * You will no doubt come across new users as you work on FamilySearch Wiki. You may spot them in the edit histories of pages or on talk pages. If a user's signature or username is in red, that indicates that he or she doesn't have a user page set up yet. That means they are very likely (but not always) a new user. Check their talk page to see if they've already been greeted (though there's no harm in greeting a new user again; you can always say "hi", and offer your assistance).
 * Check the recent changes. If there is a new user, it will say as an edit summary: (New user account). These users will also be on the account creation log. You can then click on the red linked talk page and then greet them. This is also helpful if you are looking for newbies, vandalism, etc.