Wikipedia:Old Fashioned Wikipedian Values

Background

Elderly Wikipedian with rose-tinted spectacles gazing longingly at the original paper copy of the encyclopedia.

It is quite normal for each generation, as they age, to yearn for the values of the past, in a rose-tinted spectacles manner. There probably never was a time of Wikipedian harmony, polite collegiality and happiness, but it's nice to think that there was, and to aspire to bring it back.

Some long-term editors have noticed that they've become increasingly grumpy and bad-tempered on Wikipedia. This could be for any number of reasons, but the impact is that they are less happy contributors and the effects become a negative feedback cycle, drawing in more and more grumpy contributors.

By pledging to return to these Old Fashioned Wikipedian Values, perhaps your example will spread, making the whole environment more pleasant. But even if it does not, you can feel happy about yourself and the contributions you're making. After all, the high ground is a great place to be. But beware the high horse; it can be painful to fall off this animal.

The pledges

I will:

1. Be unfailingly polite, even to vandals, let alone regulars with whom I disagree.
2. Take the mantra of assuming good faith to within a whisker of absurdity.
3. Apologise for perceived shortcomings, even on occasions when I think it is barely necessary.
4. Welcome other editors pointing out to me when I fail to meet the first three pledges.

Userbox

Some people like userboxes. If you sign up, feel free to add this one, if you fancy:

This user pledges to return to
Old-Fashioned Wikipedian Values.

To include this userbox in your page, just copy the following template:
{{User:Pdebee/UBX/Old-Fashioned Wikipedia Values}}

With grateful thanks to User:Diannaa, who provided the technical skills.

Participants

• As author of the essay, Dweller (talk) 08:57, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
• The Rambling Man (talk) 16:47, 4 April 2013 (UTC)
• Bencherlite^Talk 08:03, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
• I think it's why I have been called naive recently, cloud cuckoo land was also mentioned, - I call it dream. (Look for Peace and Reformation on my user page) - Please let me know when I don't know enough of the "old" values, I still feel new here and learning.
  Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:29, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
• Dianna (talk) 12:14, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
• I will try my hardest to do this in moving forward. <Ched resists the urge to yell at the kids playing on his lawn> — Ched :  ?  18:11, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
• Great idea —Cliftonian (talk) 10:49, 19 April 2013 (UTC)
• A much better idea than the proposed admin-oath. Lectonar (talk) 19:24, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
• Antidiskriminator (talk) 10:43, 28 July 2013 (UTC)
• Arrivisto (talk) 14:18, 10 November 2013 (UTC)
• Go Phightins!
• I'll trade you this Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 11:55, 3 February 2015 (UTC)
• I never edited Old Fashioned Wikipedia, but I found my grandma's rose-colored spectacles in the attic. Good principles on- and off-line. FourViolas (talk) 03:39, 19 February 2015 (UTC)
• Absolutely. — Mr. Stradivarius ^{♪ talk ♪} 23:37, 26 February 2015 (UTC)
• A worthy goal. DocTree (ʞlɐʇ·ʇuoɔ) WER 23:28, 10 March 2015 (UTC)
• Hafspajen "nominated" me for this; see User talk:Joshua Jonathan#SPI. I'm honoured by his nomination, and I enlist. See also Bodhisattva and Guanyin. Best regards, Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 06:32, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
• Delighted to see such a group exists! Quinto Simmaco (talk) 04:35, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
• OlEnglish (talk) 09:50, 18 June 2015 (UTC)
• Sorry I didn't sign this four or five years ago. ϢereSpielChequers 10:22, 29 June 2015 (UTC)
• Looking at my own nine-year history on Wikipedia, I realize that as the years have gone by I have become somewhat more snarky and even on occasion uncivil. I am going to take the pledge, starting on 01 July 2015. I encourage others to call me on it if I fall short. --Guy Macon (talk) 03:20, 30 June 2015 (UTC)
• This looks so wonderful. Please count me in, I want to join your gang.--82.28.140.226 (talk) 22:26, 1 July 2015 (UTC)
• It's the Canadian way. The Interior (Talk) 15:09, 8 July 2015 (UTC)
• I've had this userbox for a while now on my user page, it's about time I signed up. Liz ^{Read! Talk!} 08:44, 24 July 2015 (UTC)
• Sign me up. /wia /talk 01:49, 16 October 2015 (UTC)
• Excellent list of principles; will do my best to meet them. -- Khazar2 (talk) 17:53, 26 October 2015 (UTC)
• Looks a good idea. JRPG (talk) 12:20, 2 November 2015 (UTC)
• I just came upon this, and I figure I am old enough in fish years. --Tryptofish (talk) 23:49, 4 November 2015 (UTC)
• I am definitely joining now, before it's too late!
  With love & kindest regards; Patrick. ツ Pdebee.^{(talk)(guestbook)} 22:16, 13 February 2016 (UTC)
• Count me in! Mademoiselle La Souris ^(Squeak!) 04:25, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
• I do so pledge. --Erick Shepherd (talk) 14:59, 13 April 2016 (UTC)
• Disputes never accomplish anything. Acknowledging that we all screw up often and can learn from each other fosters a more constructive environment, and in any event is so much more enjoyable than bickering. My goal shall always be to leave every conversation better than I found it. —Compassionate727 ^(T·C) 14:30, 3 May 2016 (UTC)
• Late again, but glad I have found this as I have found my patience disappearing somewhere.. I will try. Edmund Patrick – confer 15:04, 3 June 2016 (UTC)
• I've been a member forever without realising it. Now I have no excuses. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:29, 7 July 2016 (UTC)
• Probably should have signed up years ago as I've had this page marked for quite awhile. Fyunck(click) (talk) 22:24, 7 July 2016 (UTC)
• Way better than the drink! Miniapolis 21:39, 20 July 2016 (UTC)
• That's a formula for life inside and outside Wiki. Ex nihil ^(talk) 09:37, 23 July 2016 (UTC)
• Yep, that's the way. --A D Monroe III (talk) 16:29, 8 September 2016 (UTC)
• This has always worked best for me. It doesn't work for everyone, and that's okay with me. - Dank (push to talk) 12:25, 16 September 2016 (UTC)
• FInally feeling home. FkpCascais (talk) 17:43, 23 October 2016 (UTC)
• That's a wonderful idea. Hope to have the ability to abide by all the points. --Mhhossein ^talk 12:07, 3 December 2016 (UTC)

If you're not old-fashioned, a few of these Old Fashioneds will calm you enough to be! :) Just make sure that you don't reach the WP:DRUNKEDIT stage, and remember that Wikipedia is not about wining.

• Just saw this thanks to your signature. I try to do all as this suggests already, and hope I succeed..and that if I don't, I recognize it and/or accept corrective comments from my fellow wikipedians. Can I use the image on the right instead of the bespectacled gent? :) --Hammersoft (talk) 00:48, 6 January 2017 (UTC)

  Why of course! --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 11:39, 6 January 2017 (UTC)

• Nostalgia isn't what it used to be. But great ideas and The Dude abide. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 17:33, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
• StevenJ81 (talk) 04:00, 15 January 2017 (UTC)
• Mz7 (talk) 13:43, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
• Need to slap myself in the face to temper the sarcasm that creeps in when dealing with constant little acts of vandalism (minor) and opinionated editors whos views are always 'right' (more major). Matilda Maniac (talk) 01:06, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
• Yes, indeed.Junosoon (talk) 09:31, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
• I was helped when I first joined Wikipedia by users who share these values, and I intend to do the same. Daylen (talk) 02:33, 17 May 2017 (UTC)
• Well, I was about to bite some newcomers and start a few edit wars, but...*sighs* Fine. ;-) Cheers! Skyraider1 (talk) 01:16, 23 June 2017 (UTC)
• Meh... Been doing that in real life since a long time. Should try it on wikipedia too. —usernamekiran(talk) 05:09, 28 June 2017 (UTC)
• Well, absolutely yeah especially I'm sarcastic. KGirlTrucker81 ^{huh? what I've been doing} 20:26, 30 June 2017 (UTC)
• -- MarcoAurelio (talk) 21:15, 6 July 2017 (UTC)
• Might not be old enough to call myself old-fashioned, but this has always been my philosophy. ansh666 21:57, 5 October 2017 (UTC)
• I'm already doing this!  — Mr. Guye (talk) (contribs)  03:23, 21 October 2017 (UTC)
• ~ Amory (u • t • c) 19:01, 18 February 2018 (UTC)
• Ladies and Gentlemen of whatever gender you prefer! Count me in! Interstellarpoliceman (talk) 18:44, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
• I'm in. (Mobile mundo (talk) 14:34, 15 May 2018 (UTC))
• I'm in... --Adamstraw99 (talk) 21:19, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
• Lets go back to the days when everybody followed WP:AGF and WP:BITE, and administrators actually considered collateral damage when issuing blocks, like when the idea of long-term softblocking AOL dial-up was actually a big deal... PCHS-NJROTC ^{(Messages)Have a blessed day.} 02:49, 1 June 2018 (UTC)
• All seems good, count me in! The Duke of Nonsense^{What is necessary for thee?}. 21:04, 10 July 2018 (UTC)
• Aye. -Ad Orientem (talk) 02:33, 14 July 2018 (UTC)
• Can't believe I hadn't listed myself earlier. It's never too late. — JFG ^talk 14:23, 18 July 2018 (UTC)
• Today I joined a cult.
  Regards, SshibumXZ (Talk) (Contributions). 10:45, 6 August 2018 (UTC)
• Nope, just a group of people aiming to make wiki a better place! Seems a good set of principles to stick to!
  Greenleader (talk. 09:35, 11 August 2018 (UTC)
• Definitely! Haven't always kept to the old values and will try harder everyday.  Paine Ellsworth  ^put'r there  10:13, 30 August 2018 (UTC)
• Sign me up. GirthSummit _(blether) 08:59, 15 September 2018 (UTC)
• ME! ME! AdamFra (talk) 14:37, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
• I just heard about it. Of course! Anna Frodesiak (talk) 12:49, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

See also

• Suggestions for wikistressed editors
• Other essays by this user
• Wikipedia:Kindness Campaign