Template talk:Welcome

This template is in the collection of greetings templates maintained by the Welcoming Committee. For other templates in the collection, see Welcome templates.

Template:Welcome is indefinitely protected from editing as it is a heavily used or highly visible template. Substantial changes should first be proposed and discussed here on this page. If the proposal is uncontroversial or has been discussed and is supported by consensus, editors may use {{edit template-protected}} to notify an administrator or template editor to make the requested edit. Usually, any contributor may edit the template's documentation to add usage notes or categories. Any contributor may edit the template's sandbox. Functionality of the template can be checked using test cases.

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The button text "Volunteer at the Task Center "is odd; nobody "volunteers" "at" the Task Center. You go there to find a task; i.e., ideas or suggestions for what to do here. For experienced editors who have been around for a hundred years and know exactly what the Task Center is, there is probably an element of over-familiarity or banner blindness that prevents us from seeing how odd this formulation is. With my newbie hat on, I could imagine wondering if I have to go maintain that page if I volunteer there, or what? I could see button text like, "Find ideas at the Task Center", "Browse suggested Tasks", "The Task Center has editing ideas", and so on. Mathglot (talk) 09:51, 3 December 2025 (UTC)Reply

I modified it to 'Search the Task Center', but not sure that's the best. If anyone has a better idea, go for it, or discuss. Mathglot (talk) 21:30, 6 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

Besides the tasks listed at the Task Center, there is another source of suggested edits now that the WP:Growth team has rolled out the Newcomer homepage feature. All registered users now have the user homepage enabled by default. (Senior editors may not see it; you can enable it in your Preferences). The top module (they call each boxed section on the Homepage a "module") is the "suggested edits module", and this is a source of suggested edits aimed specifically at newcomers. This is probably something that should be mentioned, and it is probably more useful than the Task Center link for most new users receiving a welcome. I would suggest upgrading the Task Center line accordingly, something like this:

With the Task Center button right after it. Thanks, Mathglot (talk) 09:55, 3 December 2025 (UTC)Reply

For the last few years, newbies are assigned a User homepage and a mentor, and the current practice is to find suggested edits in the Suggested Edits module on their Homepage. The current (recently modified) text adds a clause about their User homepage Suggested Edits, while leaving the button pointing to the Task Center alone. However, it is not at all clear that we should be sending newbies to the Task Center anymore, certainly not with the implied prominence of a button dedicated to it. Probably the button should be reassigned to the Homepage Suggested Edits module, and the Task Center (if mentioned at all, and for newbies, I wouldn't bother) should be in plain text, and not a button. Mathglot (talk) 11:03, 6 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

On behalf of the Growth team (who works on the homepage and related features), we're encouraged to see this!

On a more personal level (as a volunteer, I was the one who added the Task Center link many years ago), I agree that the homepage is probably a better default place to point newcomers looking for tasks these days. Sdkb‑WMF ^talk 18:05, 6 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

One other note: @AAlhazwani (WMF) points out that "top left" applies only on desktop, not on mobile. Sdkb‑WMF ^talk 21:08, 7 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

Oh, very good point, thanks for that. Assuming that just top module would do, for mobile users. (There is also a bottom right wording that needs adjustment on another template.) Thanks for the heads-up! An interesting technical issue is involved: the template is substed, but we probably want to preserve the '#if' in this case (so the welcomed user can view the message either on desktop or mobile), so an intentional lack of safesubst protection on the #if should do it, so that everything else is substed *except* for that one case; interesting issue. Mathglot (talk) 21:17, 7 January 2026 (UTC)Reply

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Replace the whole code with this

<div style="border: 1px solid #a2a9b1; background-color: #f8f9fa; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; font-family: sans-serif; max-width: 900px; margin: 10px auto;">

{| width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="background: none;"
| style="vertical-align: top; width: 60px;" | [[File:Information icon.svg|50px|link=]]
| style="vertical-align: middle; padding-left: 10px;" | <span style="font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; color: #202122;">Welcome to the Wiki, Welcomer!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 1.1em; color: #54595d;">We're glad to have you here. Here is a quick guide to help you get started.</span>
|}

<hr style="border: 0; height: 1px; background: #c8ccd1; margin: 15px 0;" />

<div style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 10px;">🚀 Getting Started</div>
Before you dive in, we recommend checking out these essential pages:
* [[Project:Guidelines|Community Guidelines]] – The "rules of the road" for our community.
* [[Help:Editing|Editing Tutorial]] – A step-by-step guide on how to format text.
* [[Project:Sandbox|The Sandbox]] – A safe place to practice your editing without breaking anything.

<hr style="border: 0; height: 1px; background: #c8ccd1; margin: 15px 0;" />

<div style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 10px;">🛠️ What Can You Do?</div>
There are plenty of ways to contribute, regardless of your experience level:
# Fix Typos: Spot a misspelling? Click "Edit" and fix it!
# Add Content: Found a page that's missing information? Fill in the blanks.
# Upload Images: Help make our articles more visual (ensure you have the rights to the image).
# Join Discussions: Check the [[Project:Community Portal|Community Portal]] to see what we're currently working on.

<hr style="border: 0; height: 1px; background: #c8ccd1; margin: 15px 0;" />

<div style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 10px;">💡 Pro Tips for Newcomers</div>
* Sign your posts: When leaving a message on Talk pages, please sign with four tildes: <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>. This automatically adds your name and the date.
* Use Edit Summaries: Briefly describe what you changed in the "Summary" box before saving.
* Be Bold: Don't be afraid to edit! Mistakes can always be fixed.

<div style="background-color: #eaf3ff; border: 1px solid #bbd9ff; padding: 15px; border-radius: 5px; margin-top: 15px;">
'''Need Help?''' If you have questions, feel free to ask on my [[User talk:WikiWorkerBees|talk page]] or visit the [[Help:Contents|Help Center]]. Happy editing!
</div>

</div>
<noinclude>
[[Category:Welcome templates]]
</noinclude>

WikiWorkerBees (talk) 01:19, 7 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

 Not done: There are many issues with this template, like the fact that it says "Welcomer" despite the page it's on, and you shouldn't use AI to edit Wikipedia. HurricaneZeta^C 01:35, 7 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

Addtionally, you already made {{Welcomer}}. It's unlikely this template will be replaced, and is already rooted in many gadgets (mainly twinkle) and scripts. HurricaneZeta^C 01:46, 7 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

nah I created that script with my self WikiWorkerBees (talk) 02:54, 7 February 2026 (UTC)Reply

I think the text Alternatively, the contributing to Wikipedia page covers the same topics. should be removed from this template for three reasons:

1. As the text itself explains, it is redundant to already-linked Help:Introduction.
2. Help:Introduction is much more newcomer-friendly page than the lengthy Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia.
3. Help:Introduction itself links to Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia.

Best, HouseBlaster (talk • he/they) 03:37, 6 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

I've  Done this per the lack of objection. Best, HouseBlaster (talk • he/they) 17:53, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

Help:Introduction is an accessibility nightmare and loses 90% of its viewership after the first page... we should give our readers an option for a single page with substantial information ...but oh well.Moxy🍁 20:42, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

I imagine that most readers go to WP:CTW and quickly decide "nope, not reading all that". If you'd like, I'd be happy to revert and start an RfC. Best, HouseBlaster (talk • he/they) 20:45, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

Yeah, without a basis of comparison for how many editors read beyond the first sentence of WP:CTW, it's hard to draw any conclusions. My guess is that there's a massive dropoff there as well because many people arriving at it may have clicked accidentally/just be casually exploring/etc. Sdkb ^talk 21:39, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

The TOC is one of the most visually used options we have here... A link disguise as an action button is not going to entice too many people our intro is part of the 15% of the web that gets it wrong. Embarrassing we don't have basic accessibility on a page like this. Moxy🍁 00:25, 17 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

No need doesn't affect our readers... just a dead end for potential editors basic stats Moxy🍁 20:52, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply

As a post-implementation comment, I support this change. We should only be offering one help page to newcomers to stay concise and avoid decision paralysis, and Help:Introduction is the best option. Sdkb ^talk 21:36, 16 July 2026 (UTC)Reply