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Help:Welcome tool

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This extension is enabled by default on Wikia.

The Wikia Welcome tool is an automatic process that helps wiki admins to welcome new editors. The goal is to show new contributors that there's a community on the wiki - and to help connect them to admins, so they know where to go if they have questions. When a contributor makes their first edit, the Welcome tool leaves a talk page message for them, and creates a user page.

The talk page message is signed by the admin who edited the wiki most recently - this is to help the contributor find someone who's available to talk to them if they need it. If no admin has recently edited, the message will be signed by a member of the Wikia Community Team.

Welcome tool
Example of a welcome message

Finding the new editors

Assuming they don't find you first, there are two simple methods you can use to find new users:

Customizing the Welcome Tool (Advanced)

Administrators on each wiki can customize the tool in various ways by editing certain pages in the MediaWiki namespace.

Customizing functionality

MediaWiki:welcome-user

Who Signs the Message
  • @latest -- most recent admin (or Wikia staff if no admins have been active in 60 days).
  • @sysop -- always sign by an admin.
  • A username (not signature)



… or Disable Entire Feature

  • @disabled -- turn off welcoming of new users.
MediaWiki:welcome-enabled

What Actions are performed
  • "page-user" create user pages.
  • "message-anon" leave a message for anons.
  • "message-user" leave a message for registered users.

Actions can be combined (separate options with space):

  • "page-user message-anon message-user" enables everything.
Variables
  • $1 is the page the new editor edited or created
  • $2 is a link to the talk page of the person leaving the welcome
  • $3 is the signature
  • $4 is the name of the person being welcomed
MediaWiki:welcome-bot-flag

Controlling the bot
Welcome edits are hidden from recent changes. If you would like to have these edits shown, edit MediaWiki:welcome-bot-flag and replace with a dash -.
Default: @bot

Customizing messages

Depending on whether a wiki uses Talk Pages or Message Walls, different settings need to be changed.

If your wiki uses Talk Pages, you can adjust the following MediaWiki Messages on your wiki to customize the Welcome Tool experience.

Customize Talk Page Messages


Welcome messages will be signed by the most recent admin to edit on your wiki. Customize the message left on the Talk Pages of editors with Wikia accounts.

If no admin has edited in 60 days, messages will be signed by a Wikia employee. Customize the message left on the Talk Pages of editors with Wikia accounts.

Customize the message left on the Talk Pages of anonymous editors.

If no admin has edited in 60 days, messages will be signed by a Wikia employee. Customize the message left on the Talk Pages of anonymous editors.

Customize the content left on the user page for new editors with Wikia accounts.

If your wiki uses Message Wall, you can adjust the following MediaWiki Messages on your wiki to customize the Welcome Tool experience.

Customize Wall Posts


Welcome messages will be signed by the most recent admin to edit on your wiki. Customize the message left on the Message Walls of editors with Wikia accounts.

If no admin has edited in 60 days, messages will be signed by a Wikia employee. Customize the message left on the Message Walls of editors with Wikia accounts.

Customize the message left on the Message Walls of anonymous editors.

If no admin has edited in 60 days, messages will be signed by a Wikia employee. Customize the message left on the Message Walls of anonymous editors.

Customize the content left on the user page for new editors with Wikia accounts.

Other notes

  • Welcome messages will not be left for users with flags such as sysop, bureaucrat, bot, staff, or helper.
  • Welcome messages will not be left by sysop accounts that also have the bot flag.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the Wikia Welcome tool, please contact a staff member or ask for help in our Community Support Forums.

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