Editing Battlestar Wiki:Be bold in updating pages
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{{Policy|3 June 2005|shortcut=BW:BOLD}} | {{Policy|3 June 2005|shortcut=BW:BOLD}} | ||
{{derivative2| | {{derivative2| | ||
INTERWIKI=Wikipedia| | INTERWIKI=Wikipedia| | ||
TITLE= | TITLE=Be bold in updating pages| | ||
TITLE_TEXT=Wikipedia's '''Be bold in updating pages'''| | TITLE_TEXT=Wikipedia's '''Be bold in updating pages'''| | ||
LICENSE=GNU FDL | LICENSE=GNU FDL | ||
}} | }} | ||
This community exhorts users to be bold in updating articles. [[Wikipedia:Wiki|Wiki]]s 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. Instead of asking, "[[Wikipedia:Why aren't these pages copy-edited|Why aren't these pages copyedited]]?", you should fix the problems you see yourself. It does require some amount of politeness, but it works. You'll see. | This community exhorts users to be bold in updating articles. | ||
[[Wikipedia:Wiki|Wiki]]s 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. | |||
Instead of asking, "[[Wikipedia:Why aren't these pages copy-edited|Why aren't these pages copyedited]]?", you should fix the problems you see 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 [[wikipedia:patent nonsense|patent nonsense]], don't worry about their feelings. Correct it, add to it, and, if it's a total waste of time, replace it with [[wikipedia:brilliant prose|brilliant prose]] (and relegate the deletions to [[ | If someone writes an inferior, merely humorous article, article stub, or outright [[wikipedia:patent nonsense|patent nonsense]], don't worry about their feelings. Correct it, add to it, and, if it's a total waste of time, replace it with [[wikipedia:brilliant prose|brilliant prose]] (and relegate the deletions to [[Wikipedia:bad jokes and other deleted nonsense|bad jokes and other deleted nonsense]] or the corresponding [[Wikipedia:talk page|talk page]]). That's the nature of a Wiki. | ||
For the most part, the instinctive desire of an author to "own" what he or she has written is counterproductive here, and it is good to shake up that emotional attachment by making sweeping changes at will when it improves the result. | For the most part, the instinctive desire of an author to "own" what he or she has written is counterproductive here, and it is good to shake up that emotional attachment by making sweeping changes at will when it improves the result. | ||
And of course, others here will boldly and mercilessly edit what ''you'' write. | 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 this Wikipedia as good as it can possibly be. | |||
Don't take it personally. | |||
==...but don't be reckless!== | ==...but don't be reckless!== | ||
New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of ''[[Battlestar Wiki]]'' and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: ''be bold in updating pages'' does ''not'' mean that you should make deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as [[re-imagining]] or [[God]]. In many such cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between [[:Category:Wikipedians|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. Even so, the editing of gross grammatical errors is welcome. | |||
New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of ''[[Battlestar Wiki]]'' and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: ''be bold in updating pages'' does ''not'' mean that you should make deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as [[ | |||
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. | ||
If you are an experienced | If you are an experienced [[Wikipedia:Wikipedian|Wikipedian]], you will probably have a good sense of which edits will be accepted, and which should be discussed first. | ||
If you are new to | If you are new to Wikipedia, or unsure how others will view your contributions, and you want to change or delete anything substantial in the text, you are advised to either: | ||
#Copy it to the [[Wikipedia:Talk page|Talk page]] and list your objections there | #Copy it to the [[Wikipedia:Talk page|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 | #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 Talk 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 make sure to leave a descriptive [[Wikipedia:edit summary|edit summary]] | Then, wait a bit for responses. If no one objects, proceed, but always move large deletions to Talk 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 make sure to leave a descriptive [[Wikipedia:edit summary|edit summary]] detailing your change and reasoning. | ||
Also, | Also, show respect for the ''status quo''. Avoid making major changes to an article if a vote (or poll) about whether those changes should be made is currently in progress, especially if there is no clear consensus. | ||
With that said, as long as your thinking is rational, as long as your changes are rational, and as long as you write thorough edit summaries (and even thorough explanations in Talk pages), be bold. | With that said, as long as your thinking is rational, as long as your changes are rational, and as long as you write thorough edit summaries (and even thorough explanations in Talk pages), be bold. | ||
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==Actions and edits with wide-spread effects== | ==Actions and edits with wide-spread 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 | 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. | ||
==See also== | |||
*[[Wikipedia:How to edit a page|How to edit a page]] | |||
*[[Wikipedia:Editing policy|Editing policy]] | |||
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