Assume good faith

Assuming good faith, often abbreviated AGF within the wikisphere, is a core value of this wiki community, as it is on many other wiki sites. It means that we act on the assumption that everyone who makes an edit is doing so to provide relevant, accurate information. No matter the change, we give people the benefit of the doubt, and trust they have come to build, not break, WikiIndex.

With that in mind, it is important to realise and acknowledge that everyone can make innocent mistakes and errors. The nature of wiki renders it nearly impossible to break the wiki, and makes corrections easy. By assuming 'good faith', and working together, particularly in trying to resolve any differences, we keep in mind that errors are often unintentional.

Because there is a history of all edits made to WikiIndex, edits that constitute vandalism or spam are easily found. By assuming good faith in the face of evidence to the contrary, we assume that those who perpetrate do not understand the rules, conventions, or social norms of WikiIndex, and wikis in general. Assuming good faith allows us to acknowledge an editor's negative impact, and persuade them to adopt acceptable standards and practices, and hopefully work together towards an established consensus.

Further reading

• Assume good faith — collection of discussions on the concept, at Meatball Wiki
• Information can also be searched at Archive.org for the AboutUs wiki page: AboutUs:The Wiki Way.