TV5 Wiki:Assume Good Faith

Assuming good faith is an assumption that users' edits and comments are made in good faith, with the intention to help the project, not hurt it. This guideline does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of obvious evidence to the contrary, such as vandalism. Assuming good faith also does not prohibit discussion or disagreement, but rather that editors should not attribute the actions under disagreement to malice unless there is specific evidence of such.

What is assuming good faith
To assume good faith means to assume that someone is making a well-intentioned effort to help the community. Even if they did something you think is wrong, odds are, it might be an accident. Assuming good faith means to assume that there is no intention of malice and that editors are trying hard to do their work for the greater good of the community.

Even if someone made an edit that needs to be reverted, it does not mean that their intention in making that edit was anything less than honorable. You should approach disagreements with a sense that the other person just wants to help, so you can be a friendly, honest, and caring voice in the community rather than someone who assumes that anyone who does something differently than you is out to ruin the project.

Demonstrate good faith
In addition to assuming good faith, encourage others to do the same by demonstrating your own good faith. You can do this by: and other good-faith behavior.
 * articulating your honest motives
 * making edits that show a willingness to compromise or be inclusive of other views
 * showing an interest in improving the wiki
 * adhering to policies and guidelines
 * showing a belief in the veracity of your edits
 * avoiding trying to game the system

Newcomers
It is important to be patient with newcomers, who will be unfamiliar with the wiki's culture and rules, but may nonetheless turn out to be valuable contributors.

A newcomer's behavior probably seems appropriate to them, and a problem in that regard usually indicates an unawareness or misunderstanding of culture. It is not uncommon for a newcomer to believe that an unfamiliar practice should be changed to match their notion of how things should function, especially if they notice that there is already some level of disagreement over the practice in question. Similarly, many newcomers want to have their contributions to articles accepted without question, especially those which pertain to subjects on which they have extensive knowledge. Behaviors arising from these perspectives, while possibly misguided, are usually not malicious and should not be treated as such. Many new users who lack an intuitive grasp of our customs are gradually brought around, once the logic behind these customs becomes clearer to them. Taking the time to explain this logic to them also increases the chances they will stay as productive members of the wiki.

Copyright
When dealing with possible copyright violations, good faith means assuming that editors intend to comply with site policy and the law. That is different from assuming they have actually complied with either. Editors have a proactive obligation to document image uploads, etc. and material may be deleted if the documentation is incorrect or inadequate. Good faith corrective action includes informing editors of problems and helping them improve their practices.

General references

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