Wikipedia:A nice cup of tea and a sit down

This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

Shortcuts WP:TY WP:SIT WP:COKE WP:COFFEE WP:COCOA

A nice cup of tea and a sit down is, in the spirit of WikiLove, a chance to declare publicly what you appreciate about other members of the community or their contributions. As Sidney Clare wrote, and Thumper's mother echoed: If you can't say anything real nice, it's better not to talk at all. That rather idealistic concept is the fundamental rule on this page. The goal is to create goodwill and perhaps assist the dispute resolution processes that occur on other pages – or, if we're lucky, avoid disputes at all.

Of course, this page should not replace complimenting people directly on their talk pages, or on article talk pages. A nice cup of tea and a sit down is for when things have gone beyond that, and there is a need for some more formal and serious niceness.

If you get the urge to say something like "I think that such-and-such has worked really hard on Wikipedia, but...", you should stop there. The rule of thumb when making a compliment is to "stop at the but/however/although". Just the complimentary part, please. When you're done pouring, you may want to leave the {{tea}} template on their talk page, so they know that their tea is ready.

(Note that drinking tea is only a metaphor; if you are living in the heat, you can take a nice cold drink; if these aren't your style, you can sit around a fire and drink beer. If you hate all of these drinks, maybe a nice hot cocoa will do. Or even a glass of water!)