I really don’t know which category this would go under. (Please move it if it’s not, thanks). I think that a lot of people are afraid to share their opinions and their understandings and their ideas with the site. I sure am. Personally, it’s very hard to share a new idea or feature on wikiHow without someone being so harsh. I don’t know what gives people the idea that they can be harsh to new contributors. I guess maybe new contributors think they have the right to do anything/everything they want to do? Unless it’s a admin that posts something, I can’t believe the utter disrespect some people get. For example, if a admin posts a new team for adding videos, everyone will be like: “Oh yeah! What a great idea!” If a normal contributor posts a team, people will be like: “Seriously, what the heck is this?” It’s just so mean. It’s very hard to share your opinion here. It seems as if only admins/long time contributors get respect, and all the others are worthless. I can almost guarantee that on this post, someone will ask me what this is about, or why. I just want to tell people who share their ideas to be strong no matter how harsh the people can be. To the people who are harsh, why view the post and then post a rude comment underneath? That makes NO sense.
Nah. I aggravate others with my plans, but I keep on going. Most wikis are resistant to change (to a certain extent), and do not really like the idea of new contributors attempting to rock the boat. The unwritten rule of wiki hierarchy (in my experience with multiple sites) is: if you have ideas, do not talk about them.
Why aggravate? It’s almost the same as cyber-bullying. Some of the people on here are REALLY mean. To the most extent I have ever seen. I think others should have the right to be heard and be respected.
Connor, it’s just not only acknowledging the fact that something someone did is wrong - but it’s also how the person wishes to “play the game”. When something is clearly plagiarized, it should be accepted and dealt with swiftly. It shouldn’t be done over and over and over - as well as denying it every time. This is no way cyber bullying. If a person were to plagiarize something and say, “Yes, I copied it. Let me re-write it and give the original person credit” and learn from their mistakes, I can see a difference than “Oh no, this is mine. I created this and don’t know how you guys are getting this information” & completely forget about it the very next time it happens, as well as the next. Respect comes a long way & starts within that person. We all have respect for one another. Administrators *are* normal editors.
Well, clearly you have yet to learn the exceptional rule of wikiHow: If you have ideas, share them so we can all benefit! Why should we all be afraid of what others will say across a computer screen? New users are just as welcome to offer up new ideas as an administrator would be.
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That is exaggeration. I have seen shockingly rude people online, and dealing with them can be a pain. Here, everyone is nice! All I am saying is that most systems are resistant to change, and a wiki is no different.
I am not talking about plagiarism. This is way too much for me to take in. I even had my uncle who is a police officer in Portsmouth, NH. He even said that this is disrespect. That’s why I am saying this, because that’s what he suggested I do.
After being here for almost two years, I actually think that people on wikiHow are generally very welcome and open to new ideas (or if they’re not, they sure do a good job faking politeness).
I’m generally a positive, accepting person, so it bothers me that others feel that wikiHow is too open to new contributors rocking the boat. I don’t understand this imaginary pedestal where admins and other long-active users tower over the newbies. That doesn’t happen here! Or at least, it shouldn’t. wikiHow clearly states that adminship is not a license to boss others around, nor is it a trophy. Unlike many sites, wikiHow does care about the individual user and his opinions. If the people on this site weren’t so incredibly kind and accepting, trust me, I would’ve left long ago. That said, it’s important that we MAINTAIN that friendly, open atmosphere. No user should make others feel timid and inferior. Without exception.
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I agree with @Katy
here. Ideas are just what the name implies- ideas! Just thoughts and points that can be brought up. By ANYBODY! People shouldn’t be biased one way or another toward anybody about anything, and if they are, well, that’s not exactly in the wikiSpirt, now is it? Good ideas come from experience, @Connor
, and admins are pret-ty darn experienced, so I guess that’s where you’re coming from. Feedback on ideas and opinions are (should be, anyway :P) based soley on the idea itself, not the person posting it or the adminship (or not) of that person. Just my opinion…
Well, people are doing a fine heck of a job making me feel timid and scared to share my opinions.
Maybe I should leave? I am clearly unwanted, and I just feel really sad.
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@Connor
, please don’t be (and I’m sorry if this is me you’re referring to). That’s the bottom line… it’s okay!!! P.S. As long as you’re responding, what’s your profile pic sposed to be of? ;)-
Part of the reason why so many new contributors get bashed is because they don’t seem to listen. For example, I know that a lot of the problem has been with projects and teams. So many older contributors here have seen new projects start and just crash and burn, so whenever someone sees a new editor wanting to start a project everyone isn’t exactly accepting of it, because they take a lot of work from the creator.
This is also true. Sometimes people just don’t start off well, or just seem to lack trustworthiness, because of their past and/or current actions and edits on wikihow. On another note, remember, this is the internet. You cannot control what people say. The same goes in real life too. Bullying does hurt, but sometimes you just have to deal with it. I would much rather be given sardonic remarks over the internet from people I don’t know, than be bullied to my face from people I live with, every day.
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You forget that many of us come from wikis where adminship is a trophy position, gotten by cozying up to current admins at election time. On my original wiki, there have been countless bureaucrats reviewed for demotion because of power abuse! I am not saying that admins cannot be trusted, but a negative stigma exists toward wikithority due to abuses on multiple websites.
Cece, I am definitely not referring to.You’re the nicest person I have ever talken to. P.S:
Haha, I was trying to copy my friends profile picture on facebook. (Long story). I mean, if people are going to be like this, I can’t stay.
Oh, okay, clearly this thread isn’t about what I thought. If this is about the plagiarism block, I’m not going to take a side. Connor, there’s no reason to leave the site. wikiHow is more than welcoming, and whether or not you actually plagiarized, maybe you should just let it go and start fresh. wikiHow has no intentions of condemning or making you feel inferior.
That’s true, you cannot control what people say. You shouldn’t have to put up with bullying, EVER. I was hoping that this was one of the few wikis that didn’t make me feel sad. I guess this just isn’t one of them. The only reason I am on here right now, is because of my wikiFriends. That’s the ONLY reason.
Like I said, other wikis aren’t wikiHow. Since the site was started several years ago, Jack, Krystle, and all the others have worked hard to ensure a power balance and openness to new ideas.
I know this is *supposed* to be a site that isn’t supposed to make people feel bad. But so far, that’s not what it looks like to me.
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I’m the nicest person you’ve ever spoken to? *laughs* You might want to get out more… Anyway, I really don’t want to get into who exactly is “like this” (mainly 'cause I think I missed a huge chunk of this, and am partly lost at where it started… o_O), but please don’t take it this way. Spitting out ideas shouldn’t be a problem, regardless of anything else. I honestly don’t see how it was (again, thinking this is the whole shabang I missed) until it was brought up. You’re a heck of a friend and a wH patroller something fierce. You don’t need to LEAVE (goodness gracious). Just… I dunno, cool it, dude. And when this dies down, everyone else will tooI swear.
