Assuming good faith

"Assume good faith" is one of the most fundamental principles we use on the Wikimedia wikis when we come across a contributor with whom we disagree. While it might seem an easy maxim to follow, it can and does become difficult when communications get fuzzy.


 * Questions

General:


 * 1) When does assuming good faith come into play? What triggers us to make a conscious effort to do so?
 * 2) Does AGF only come into play when we first encounter another editor? Is the assumption of good faith eventually replaced by earned trust (or earned distrust)?
 * 3) Do we base the assumption of good faith soley on our own interactions with someone, or do we always take into account the user's history with others?

Difficulties:


 * 1) How do we respond to a new user exhibiting "similar behavior patterns" as an old threat we've dealt with and learned that an assumption of good faith was incorrect?
 * 2) How do we respond to users who claim to have redeemed themselves, after proving against assumptions of good faith?
 * 3) How do we respond to people who, in good faith, don't assume good faith of us?