User:3PPYB6/Essays/Can you template me?
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Wikipedia has two contradicting essays as to if you should template regulars.
But, now you’re faced with the question… should you template me? Short answer is: it is your choice.
I think of myself as a regular, I come onto this encyclopedia pretty much every day to revert vandalism.
Why not to template me
Consistent with DTTR, I make mistakes, even as a semi-experienced user, and user warning templates could be considered impersonal and disrespectful to me. Putting the "Hi, I'm (insert username here). Note that I reverted one of your recent edits to (insert article name here) since it didn’t appear constructive. Please read this policy." kind of mentality could hamper constructive conversations, and, ultimately, prevent consensus.
Why you should template me
Per DESiegel, if you choose the right templates, by all means template me. Quote: "A caution isn’t the end of the world". Sometimes you might think that I need a little template to snap me out of a false world on Wikipedia. So, contradictory to the above, templating me could be like a defibrillator, and could help resume constructive conversations, and, ultimately, promote consensus.
If you template me
I'll usually reply to you, with a ping to make sure you see it. (If you disabled pings, let me know on my talk page and reference this essay.) If you can offer an explanation for the template, that is preferred, but if you don’t provide one, that is OK as well. After which, I’ll resume normal editing, and take the template’s advice.
If you see me get templated
DO NOT BE UNCIVIL, AND ASSUME GOOD FAITH. That is the #1 principle if you see me get templated. Otherwise, leave a message on their talk page and ask them why.
Possible consequences of templating me
- Possible incivility from other editors over you templating me (although I’ve informed them to be civil).
- May escalate towards a wikibreak (for that, see the three-trouts-and-I’m-out rule).
- May escalate towards a block (although you shouldn’t care if I’m blocked).
- Possible increase in opposition in a hypothetical RfA (only if the template was given in a timeframe where others don’t describe it as "old")
Possible benefits of templating me
- Getting my head out of the clouds (in other words, making me snap out of it)
- Better edit quality (one can learn from user warnings!)
- Opportunities to learn
Trouting is preferred
Although I don’t mind you templating me, trouting me is preferred.
I'm too old and experienced for those wimpy {{Trout small}}s, so here are some real trouts you can slap me with.
{{Trout}} — The full-sized, glorious trout that has over 15 years of experience of being brandished on far too many Wikipedians.
{{Whale}} — A lot of silly things I do are so silly that your stomach with writhe in pain. As such, use the whale to crush me for that.
Bottom line
To template or not to template? It is your choice, but trouting is definitely preferred. If you are unsure about the consequences, feel free to leave me a talk page message and I'll reply to you. Otherwise, happy templating! — 3PPYB6 — TALK — CONTRIBS — 00:57, 30 January 2022 (UTC)