Thread:Cjay1997/@comment-4189499-20150225134043

Hey Cjay1997. I would like to talk to you about your recent warning to User:JayMac181. I would like to start off by saying you were perfectly right to issue a warning when he made the episode page too early. Telling new users when they've made mistakes is the only way they'll improve. However, it is the way you addressed this user in your warning which was counter-productive and, quite frankly, insulting. Your tone when informing this new user of his mistake was downright accusatory, and calling him under-aged was uncalled for and quite insulting.

When a new user has made an error, you need to point out the error politely, understanding that this user does not yet have a firm grasp of the rules because they're new, and tell them how to improve their editing in a constructive manner so that they don't make that mistake next time. As the golden rule of wiki editing states, always try to assume good faith. Being friendly to newcomers even though they've made errors is an essential part of welcoming new people into the community and allowing the community to grow and prosper.

Now, onto your final comment in your initial warning. You said, based on no evidence, that:
 * "You're [ JayMac181 ] underaged, though"

Just think for a moment how you would feel if I said that you were twelve years old or younger. For an older person especially, that is just demeaning and insulting to suggest that their efforts were at the standards of one so young, of one so immature compared to the level they have actually worked to achieve through many more years of life. There is a reason that where I'm from, the term "twelvie", referring to a person around the age of twelve, is used in a negative context. While it would not be a bad comment if users aged twelve and under were allowed to edit, your false accusation also showed that you thought that this user was a liar, having to lie when making their profile, and in serious breach of Wikia's ToU. Your comment was uncalled for, and quite frankly I don't blame JayMac181 for the way in which he responded.

Now, I'm not saying that you were entirely at fault for JayMac181's outburst, but you did leave the catalyst which lead to the greater argument. This all could have been avoided if you had stopped to think about your word choice a little more, thought "how would I feel if this was said to me?". Please remember in the future to moderate your tone, welcome new users and help them improve. When your message is their first real contact with the wiki community, the way it is expressed leaves a big impact on how the wiki is perceived as a whole. By messaging a person like that, you are becoming an ambassador for the wiki. Please make sure you're a good one. Thank you for listening. 