Wikipedia:Don't come down like a ton of bricks
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. |
This page in a nutshell: Do not do that which creates rancor amongst good faith contributors. People are not obliged to memorize policies and guidelines before editing. |
Wikipedia has a lot of
What this means is that policies and guidelines
In fact, even users who've been around for a while might not have come across certain parts of Wikipedia where those policies are most relevant. Somebody might have a sizeable number of edits that are just small typo fixes, but then they discover something they like is
Users occasionally disagree or do things that are technical violations of The Rules™. We should avoid rancor among good faith contributors by agreeing to disagree or overlooking minor violations. Sometimes the damage from formal dispute resolution is greater than any potential benefit—you might be able to recite the entire set of
See also
- Wikipedia:Drop the stick and back slowly away from the horse carcass
- Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers
- Wikipedia:Advice for hotheads