The Sims Wiki:Warning

Warnings

Marcela Badeau, a Sim featured on the Warning template

The Sims Wiki has, over time, adopted a system of Warnings to address actions performed by users that, while not serious enough to warrant a block, do need to be addressed. Warnings are issued through use of the {{Warning}} template - only administrators are allowed to place this template.

Do not consider warnings as a form of punishment. The purpose of warnings are to correct behavior which is contrary to established wiki practice or policy, not to chastise a user for breaking a rule. As part of the principle of assuming good faith, it is believed that most edits made to The Sims Wiki, even edits which detract from the quality of the wiki, are done with good intentions.

If an administrator feels you have performed an edit with good intentions but have erred either by violating practice or policy, they may choose to issue a warning. Additionally, if your edit perhaps was not performed with the best of intent, an administrator may choose to give you the benefit of the doubt, in hopes that you will adjust your behavior and continue to make positive contributions to the Wiki.

What to do when warned

If you have received a warning, be sure to read the reason behind the warning, including any additional justification the administrator gave, if any. If the meaning of the warning is at all unclear to you, contact that administrator via their talk page and determine why the warning was issued.

After you have read a warning message, you are free to remove it from your page. Note that the history of your talk page will continue to show a warning even after it is removed from the current page version, so removing a warning in order to appear 'innocent' while performing bad faith edits likely won't work for very long.

Don't feel ashamed about having received a warning. All users make mistakes, misinterpret or don't understand the rules, etc. What is essential is that you evaluate the action(s) that you took that led to your being warned in the first place, and adjust those actions which were responsible. Warnings are not meant to be disciplinary, nor are they meant to shame users who receive them.

Make a point to read (or re-read) Wiki Policy after a warning, and address any questions about the policies to an administrator.

What Not to do when warned

A warning is not a severe event, and it does not require a severe reaction on the part of the person warned. If you personally disagree with having been warned, politely ask the administrator the reason(s) for the warning they gave you. Do not become hostile towards the warning administrator or others, as that is going to make it more difficult for you to reach a fair outcome.

If you believe a warning was issued against you for personal reasons, discretely contact a neutral administrator and ask them to review the situation - in this scenario, please be sure to be able to demonstrate the issuing administrator's hostile behavior, or your claim might be viewed as being hostile towards the administrator that initially warned you. If you believe a warning was received due to a poor policy or guideline, consider proposing a change on the Community Portal talk page.

Under no circumstances should you 'publicly' (e.g. on the Community Portal talk page or in a forum or blog post) complain about a warning you've received. After all, the administrator who issued the warning chose to warn you rather than block you, meaning that your behavior was not serious enough to warrant being blocked, and meaning that you have an opportunity to correct any such behavior in the future. You should not claim a bias against you where one does not exist, as doing so will make you look petty and unwilling to be reasonable. And all of these behaviors increases the chances that you might be blocked later on in the future.

The bottom line - warnings are learning experiences, not punishments. Do your best to learn from the experience, don't dwell on a warning or consider it as a badge of shame.