The Sims Wiki:Assume good faith



Assuming Good Faith is a key principle on, and on most other wikis. It is essential to remember that most people who edit The Sims Wiki do not intend to harm it.

When disagreement occurs, try to explain and resolve the problem without causing conflict, and give others the opportunity to do the same. Consider whether a dispute stems from different perspectives and look for ways to reach a general community agreement or consensus.

When it is questionable that an editor is acting in good faith, continue to assume good faith wherever you can. Be civil and address disagreements through calm discussion, rather than through attacks or edit wars. If you have doubts about the conduct of another user, please provide specific evidence to back up your claims. Remember that bad conduct may not be due to bad faith, so it is best to address conduct without assigning motives behind the conduct. Be careful not to assume too readily that other users are assuming bad faith, as those assumptions might themselves demonstrate an assumption of bad faith on your part.

About good faith
Everyone makes mistakes, both behavioral and content-based, and they can be corrected most of the time. Sometimes, however, there are no policies or guidelines that can easily settle a disagreement. When disagreements occur, the people involved usually do not act with ill intent. Keep calm and consider constructive means to settle a dispute, rather than attacks, threats, or hostility.

While it is important to assume good faith when no evidence exists to contradict that assumption, it is not required that users assume good faith when it is clearly shown that a user is acting in bad faith. Assuming good faith does not prohibit users from discussion or even criticism, but criticism should not imply or state that a user is acting in bad faith or with malice.

Newcomers are often unfamiliar with policies and the general "rules of conduct," but they can still be valuable contributors and community members. Newcomers will often act in a manner that seems appropriate to them, even if it goes against the rules, formal policy or community consensus. It is more likely that the newcomer is unfamiliar with these rules, or believes that policies should be changed to match their particular beliefs, rather than a show of bad faith or defiance of policies. Users that come onto The Sims Wiki may lack a good grasp of policies and community rules, but they may still learn them and begin to understand their logic over time.

When dealing with possible copyright violations, good faith means assuming that editors intend to comply with wiki policy and the law. That is different from assuming they have actually complied with either. Editors are obligated to document image uploads, etc. and material may be deleted if the documentation is incorrect or inadequate. Good faith corrective action includes informing editors of problems and helping them improve their practices.

Just as users should assume good faith, users should encourage others to assume good faith by demonstrating their own good faith. This can be done through honest discussion, compromise, adherence to policies and guidelines, and good-faith behavior.

How to address bad faith
Even if bad faith is evident, do not act uncivilly towards that user, attack that user, or lose your cool over it. Administrators and other experienced users will usually be willing to help in resolving any disputes and in identifying any breach of policy if they are provided with clear and specific evidence.

Making accusations of bad faith can be inflammatory and they are usually not helpful in a dispute, as it may appear to be a personal attack. Users that claim that others are acting in bad faith, without providing proper evidence to prove the claim, may themselves be acting in bad faith. This also can often create a negative cycle of bad-faith accusations that ultimately solves nothing.