User:Jam01/Sandbox

Esperanza FAQ

Esperanza FAQ

Welcome to Esperanza's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page! The most commonly asked questions about Esperanza are located here, along with their answers, written by Esperanzians themselves. To propose a new question, use the FAQ's talk page. Please ensure your question relates to Esperanza or its programs. Unrelated questions may be deleted. Esperanzians will discuss possible responses on the talk page. Afterwhich, the question and answer will be posted on this page. Thank you, and we hope we can help! Nothing on this page is designed to be a code of conduct or to be followed to the letter. Circumstances alter, processes evolve, people change. Therefore, this page offers advice, not rules. That advice, like all advice, can be good or bad, wrong or right. It can also be taken or ignored.

Frequently Asked Questions

Example Q. How do I join Esperanza?

A. To join, you need to have been a Wikipedian for at least two weeks, and have about 150 (one hundred and fifty) edits. It is best if most of the edits are main (article) space edits, and you will most likely be declined membership if you have about 130 edits to your userpage, and only 20 edits to articles etc. Please go to the Members page and add your name to the list. You will then normally recieve a welcome from another Esperanzian.

Questions currently being answered

• What does Esperanza do for editors?

• How does Esperanza benefit Wikipedia?

• Do I have to be a member of Esperanza to participate in Esperanzian programs?

What is Esperanza?

We're a group of people dedicated to building an encyclopedia who agree that the best way of doing this is through an enhanced sense of community amongst the participants. Some people believe that the community gets in the way of the encyclopedia; some people are on Wikipedia only for the community aspect, not for the encyclopedia; some people are somewhere between the two to various degrees; some people can't fit into any online community and therefore seek to tear them down or deny them; some cannot fit into a RL community so therefore seek to build a new one online. Esperanza stands amongst all of these people, welcoming them all and requiring as much or as little involvement as they want to give to their fellow editors.

What are Esperanza's aims?

Our overriding aim is to avoid a situation as happened at the Spanish Wikipedia, where a substantial group of editors forked off over a terrible, heated misunderstanding. We exist to attempt to diffuse these misunderstandings in future. We do this collectively and as individuals. Or we don't do it - it's optional. Esperanzians work tirelessly here at Wikipedia: Diffusing arguments and edit wars, mediating when necessary, correcting mistakes, all for no publicity. We establish friendships and community spirit, and Esperanzians work helping to ensure the community stays a friendly and happy place.

How can I become an Esperanzian?

Just by adding your name to the list of members. Then you're in. However, there are some guidelines. You need to have been a Wikipedian for at least two weeks, and have about 150 (one hundred and fifty) edits. It is best if the majority of your edits are main (article) space, or Wikipedia space. You will then normally recieve a welcome from another Esperanzian. You can then do as much or as little as you wish.

What do I have to do?

Nothing, really. Esperanzians believe that you can spend your time on Wikipedia any way you wish. We have some core items that we believe everyone should try to stick to, but we recognise that everybody makes mistakes, gets angry, says things they regret, has trouble apologising, and does other things that annoy others. We all do that too. But we do try to keep ourselves aware of the fact that nobody is perfect.

What do Esperanzians believe?

We recognise that Wikipedia editors, admins and readers are human. That humans have seven billion different viewpoints, all of which are correct. That all viewpoints can be discussed and debated easily, so long as all people involved maintain civility toward each other. But we also know that, as human beings, we are all incivil now and again. We offer forgiveness here. We hope for contrition. We do not require nor seek retribution. We do not judge. We are Esperanzians. We listen.

How active are Esperanzians?

Some are very active and very visible. Some are very active and almost invisible. Some do almost nothing and are almost invisible. Some do almost nothing and are very visible. All are welcome - we do not require a specific level of commitment. The building of the encyclopedia must come before the work of Esperanza.

Where can I see Esperanzians in action?

Esperanzians are there, in the background, in the foreground, loud, quiet, on email, on Wiki, on IRC, wherever and whenever we are needed, just doing that tiny, tiny 0.0001% thing, that voice that says "thank you for your contribution. Have a barnstar. What a nice user page. Have you thought of being an admin? Don't worry that your contribution has been rejected loudly. We valued it. Thanks." You may not even notice that happening, but it does.

What are the core ideas behind Esperanza?

There are some deliberately vague core ideas. You can interpret them as you wish; live by them utterly or ignore them; pick and choose which you feel you can do or attempt to work towards all of them.

1. Try to listen first and type second.
2. Nobody is perfect and Wikipedia does not demand perfection. Avoid making loud corrections of mistakes, minor or large. Take the blow with good grace when others correct your mistakes.
3. Be honest with yourself and recognise your own shortcomings. Be honest with others and recognise their own shortcomings.
4. Welcome the diversity of cultures on Wikipedia. You do not have to change your own views on any matter, merely allow others to speak theirs if they wish to. You have the right to disagree with any view, but never with any person.
5. Allow for the possibility that you are mistaken. Allow for the possibility that others have made a mistake. Assume good faith and assume the assumption of good faith, even if you have to do it through gritted teeth.
6. Think of ways that each Wikipedian can be made to feel accepted and nurtured. Try to follow the ideas that you and others have thought of to make this a reality.
7. There is nothing wrong with being the first to leave a conversation that is stressing you. It is a sign of intelligence to walk away from something, even if only for an hour or a day, rather than continue a heated discussion.
8. Cherish your friendships with fellow Wikipedians. Try to make more friends whenever you can. Accept offers of friendship from people you have had disputes with. Offer friendship to those who have had disputes with you.
9. Don't assume you know the views of another Wikipedian just because of where they edit or what their userboxen say. Views change; people edit against type; life is not black-and-white, it is a brilliant rainbow for each single person.
10. People edit Wikipedia when tired, angry, stressed or depressed. Recognise that you do not see the whole person on Wikipedia and try to adapt your interactions based on what the other person is seeing and feeling.
11. Certain words go a very long way. "Thank you" and "I'm sorry" are very powerful words.
12. Avoid calling for retribution or punishment. Assume that others will learn from their mistakes.
13. A Wiki is instantaneous, but we must recognise that just because everything can happen immediately, it doesn't mean that everything must happen immediately. Sometimes it pays to slow down or stop for a while.
14. Have fun in your editing and interactions. This encyclopedia gets built quicker if all those involved are enjoying themselves!

What happens if an Esperanzian doesn't embrace these core ideas?

The person in question is only human. Esperanza would advise that you go to mediation. If a person, Esperanzian or not, is seriously disrupting Wikipedia, eventually something will happen by other means. Esperanza as an organisation will not call for someone to be punished for their actions. Individuals may seek contrition from another editor, but Esperanza does not act corporately to do so. We will, however, listen. We just won't promise to act.