Wikipedia:Be bold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This page documents an English Wikipedia editing guideline. It is a generally accepted standard that editors should attempt to follow, though it is best treated with common sense and the occasional exception. Any substantive edit to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the talk page. |
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This page in a nutshell: If you see something that can be improved, improve it! |
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Be bold |
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| Manual of Style
See also policies |
Be bold!
The Wikipedia community encourages users to be bold when updating pages. Wikis like ours develop faster when everybody helps to fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure wording is accurate, etc. We would like everyone to be bold and help make Wikipedia a better encyclopedia. How many times have you read something and thought, "Why aren't these pages copy-edited?" Wikipedia not only allows you to add, revise, and edit articles: it wants you to do it. It does require some amount of politeness, but it works. You'll see. Of course, others here will edit what you write. Do not take it personally! They, like all of us, just wish to make Wikipedia as good an encyclopedia as it can possibly be.
Also, when you see a conflict in a talk page, do not be just a "mute spectator." Be bold and drop your opinion there.
...but please be careful
Though the boldness of contributors like you is one of Wikipedia's greatest assets, it is important that contributors take care of the common good and not edit recklessly. Of course, any changes you make that turn out badly can be reverted, usually painlessly. It is important not to be insulted if your changes are reverted or edited further. But there are some significant changes that can be long-lasting and that are harder to fix if the need arises. If you're unsure of anything, just ask for advice.
Often it is easier to see that something is not right rather than to know exactly what would be right. We do not require that everyone be bold. After all, commenting that something in an article is incorrect can be the first step to getting it fixed. It is true, though, that problems are more certain to be fixed, and will probably be fixed faster, if you are bold enough to do it yourself.
To use the words of Edmund Spenser, "Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold," but "Be not too bold."
Non-article namespaces
Although it is acceptable to be bold in updating articles, it is easier to cause problems in other namespaces by editing without due care. The admonition "but do not be reckless" is especially important in other namespaces.
Being bold in updating or creating categories and templates can have far reaching consequences. This is because category changes – and even more so template changes – can affect a large number of pages with a single edit. Templates, moreover, may have complex source code that can easily be broken by untested changes (which can fortunately be corrected with a single revert).
Because of these concerns, many heavily used templates are indefinitely protected from editing. Before editing templates or categories, consider proposing any changes on the associated talk pages and announcing the proposed change on pages of appropriate WikiProjects.
Care must also be taken when editing Wikipedia-space pages which reflect a community consensus or view, such as the central policy pages on verifiability, no original research, and neutral point of view. In these cases, it is often better to discuss potential changes first. However, spelling and grammatical errors can and should be fixed as soon as they are noticed.
Discussing changes to other Wikipedia-space pages on the talk page is also a good idea. If nothing else, it will provide an explanation of the changes for later editors. Most such pages are collections of arguments placed in Wikipedia space for later reference, so the same arguments don't need to be made over and over again. Consider the arguments on talk pages and the editors that support them, but if they don't convince you, don't let them interfere in being bold with articles. Wikipedia space is an instrument for the perfection of the encyclopedia.
New images should be uploaded with new names rather than overwriting old ones. Doing otherwise risks having the old image confused with the new one. Adding information to the description of an existing image is definitely an area where being bold applies.
It is generally recommended that you do not edit another Wikipedian's user page or comments left on talk pages (other than your own, and even then do not be reckless). Fixing vandalism is nearly always welcome, even on user pages. Specific users will let you know if they find your changes inappropriate or if you have given incorrect information.
See also
- Article Rescue Squadron
- BOLD, revert, discuss cycle
- Boldness
- Defending article quality
- Don't revert due to "no consensus"
- Editing policy
- How to edit a page
- Ignore all rules
- Old dogs and new tricks
- {{sofixit}}
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