Wikipedia:Wikibreak

A wikiholiday, wikibreak, or wikivacation is a period when even a wikiholic must be parted from the Wikipedia – although hopefully only temporarily.

Concept

The pain involved varies from Wikipedian to Wikipedian. Some find it easy to endure, whereas others find the separation agonising. Often the latter find themselves grasping at any opportunity to go online "just to check what's happening".

The degree of coercion also varies. Some remarkable individuals are actually capable of taking a voluntary wikiholiday: they are to be admired for their strength of character. Others are forced into it through circumstances beyond their control: it is often at such times that wikiholics discover their condition.

When to depart

• You are a student and you have exams.
• You feel exhausted by your regional weather.
• You find yourself repeatedly assuming bad faith.
• You have a new girlfriend or boyfriend.
• You have to look for a job.
• Your boss walks up behind you.
• You have to move.
• You are sick.
• Your Wikistress is making it hard to work.
• You need time to relax and think, so that when you do return to Wikipedia, you'll be refreshed, hopefully.
• Your time on wikipedia is having a drastic effect on your life outside of wikipedia.
• Your computer broke. (dang)

When to be back

(In alphabetical order)

• Your spouse asks you to buy a new car. Just buy it and come straight back.
• Your exams are over. Skip the bad beer and get back to editing!
• Your significant other leaves you or goes on vacation...
• You get a new job.
• Your boss leaves the room.
• You're done moving.
• You've done all the "relaxing" you can do.

The wikibreak templates

When taking a wikibreak, it is a good idea to inform your wikifriends that you are not active and indicate when you might be back. You can use the wikibreak template for this purpose. Let's say Jimbo wants to go on wikibreak until Christmas. He would then place this text on the top of his user and/or talk pages:

{{wikibreak|[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]]| on December 25}}

He would get this:

For a longer break, he could also use {{Long Wikibreak}}, writing

{{Long Wikibreak|[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]]| next summer, God willing and the creeks don't rise}}

which renders thus: Template:Long Wikibreak

The other wikibreak template

When taking a wikibreak, it is a good idea to inform your wikifriends that you are not active and indicate when you might be back. However, not all wikipedians have the self-discipline to keep away for various reasons, so this template was created for those who feel like taking a wikibreak, but at the same time will return to make small edits every once in a while. Let's say Jimbo wants to go on wikibreak until Christmas. He would then place this text on the top of his user and/or talk pages:

{{Attempting_wikibreak|[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]]| on December 25|I}}

He would get this: Template:Attempting wikibreak

The busy template

An alternative for those weaning themselves more slowly from Wikipedia is the 'Busy' template, which is designed for those who are being overtaken by real life work. Wikipediholics can use this template to assuage the guilt associated with long breaks from the Wiki. If Jimbo Wales were using this template, he would place the following text at the top of his user page:

{{busy|[[User:Jimbo Wales|Jimbo Wales]]}}

and he will get this:

The Exams template

Another template for those who have exams coming up soon, to add it just add the following text at the top of your user page: {{exams}} and you will get this:

Alternatively, you can use {{exams2|date}} to specify the date that your exams finish. That will yield: Template:Exams2

The sick/ill template

For those of us who are sick or ill and would thus be partially inactive, Wikipedians can use this template to indicate this.

{{user health inactive}} and the user will see this:

Proposed {{User mental health inactive}} template

Used an image that makes me think of squished brains. Feel free to replace, change, etc.

— nathanrdotcom ^{(Got something to say? Say it.)} 02:39, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

That might be a good template to have, but I very strongly oppose the use of the image of pork brains. Mental health issues aren't to joke about, plus that picture just sorta grossed me out. Change it and I really don't care, but as it is, no. -zappa.jake (talk) 00:38, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

This user is taking a short wikibreak to go on a vacation.

Whopper 02:21, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

See also

• meta:Wikibreak