Wikipedia:Be bold: Difference between revisions
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==...but don't be reckless!== |
==...but don't be reckless!== |
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New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of [[:Wikipedia]] and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: ''be bold in updating pages'' does not mean that you should make large changes or deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] or [[Abortion]]. In many such cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. An incautious edit to such an article can be akin to stirring up a [[hornet]]'s nest, and other users who are involved in the page may react angrily. Of course, the editing of glaring grammatical errors is welcome. |
New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of [[:Wikipedia]] and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: ''be bold in updating pages'' does not mean that you should make large changes or deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]] or [[Abortion]]. In addition, making large-scale changes to [[Wikipedia:Featured articles|Featured articles]], which are recognized as Wikipedia's best articles for their completeness, accuracy, and neutrality, is often a bad idea. |
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In many such cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. An incautious edit to such an article can be akin to stirring up a [[hornet]]'s nest, and other users who are involved in the page may react angrily. Of course, the editing of glaring grammatical errors is welcome. |
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If you encounter an article on a controversial subject that you would like to edit, it's a good idea to first read the article in its entirety, read the comments on the talk page, and view the ''page history'' to get a sense of how the article came into being and what its current status is. |
If you encounter an article on a controversial subject that you would like to edit, it's a good idea to first read the article in its entirety, read the comments on the talk page, and view the ''page history'' to get a sense of how the article came into being and what its current status is. |
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Revision as of 00:20, 6 September 2005
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 | This page documents an English Wikipedia guideline. Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
[[Category:Wikipedia {{{1}}}s|Be bold]]
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Be bold!
The Wikipedia community exhorts users to be bold in updating articles. Wikis develop faster when people fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure the language is precise, and so on. It's okay. It's what everyone expects. How many times have you read something and thought, "Why aren't these pages copyedited?" Wikipedia not only allows but wants you to add, revise and edit the article yourself. It does require some amount of politeness, but it works. You'll see.
If someone writes an inferior, merely humorous article, article stub, or outright patent nonsense, don't worry about his/her feelings. Correct it, add to it, and, if it's a total waste of time, replace it with brilliant prose. That's the nature of a Wiki.
And of course, others here will boldly and mercilessly edit what you write. Don't take it personally. They, like all of us, just want to make Wikipedia as good as it can possibly be.
...but don't be reckless!
New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of Wikipedia and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: be bold in updating pages does not mean that you should make large changes or deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as Israeli-Palestinian conflict or Abortion. In addition, making large-scale changes to Featured articles, which are recognized as Wikipedia's best articles for their completeness, accuracy, and neutrality, is often a bad idea.
In many such cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. An incautious edit to such an article can be akin to stirring up a hornet's nest, and other users who are involved in the page may react angrily. Of course, the editing of glaring grammatical errors is welcome.
If you encounter an article on a controversial subject that you would like to edit, it's a good idea to first read the article in its entirety, read the comments on the talk page, and view the page history to get a sense of how the article came into being and what its current status is.
If you are unsure how others will view your contributions, and you want to change or delete anything substantial in the text, it's a good idea to either:
- Copy it to the Talk page and list your objections there (if the material in question is a sentence or so in length)
- List your objections on the Talk page, but leave the main article as is (if the material is substantially longer than a sentence)
Then, wait a bit for responses. If no one objects, proceed, but always move large deletions to the Talk page and list your objections to the text so that other people will understand your changes and will be able to follow the history of the page. Also be sure to leave a descriptive edit summary detailing your change and reasoning.
Don't let that scare you off!
With the vast majority of articles, feel free to dive right in and make broad changes as you see fit. It's only with a few very sensitive subjects that caution is better advised, and you'll recognize those right away. And even if you don't, as long as you have an appetite for debate, being bold is generally a defensible position. You're unlikely to be the first person to have made a change to a controversial article, and you won't be the last. That said, contributions that add new facts and information to an article are likely to be more welcome than contributions that just delete some of the content.
Actions and edits with widespread effects
Some caution is also advised if your changes affect many other pages, such as editing a template or moving a highly linked-to page. While not required, it is recommended that before making this type of major change you familiarize yourself with the relevant policy or guideline (such as Wikipedia:Naming conventions if contemplating a page move). Also, it is considered polite to be willing to fix any problems created (such as broken redirects or formatting problems) in the affected articles.