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{{Redirect|WP:WQ|the page where quizzes can be created for other Wikipedians|Misplaced Pages:WikiQuizzes}} |
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{{guideline}} |
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{{redirects here|WP:COURTESY|the renaming practice|Misplaced Pages:Courtesy vanishing}} |
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{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Etiquette|WP:EQ|WP:ETIQ|WP:WQ|WP:WQT}} |
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{{nutshell|Misplaced Pages etiquette, while often wiki specific, is rooted in common sense intuitions about working together. Be friendly and flexible. Act in good faith. Focus on improving Misplaced Pages articles.}} |
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{{shortcut| ]}} |
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{{guideline list}} |
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This page offers some principles of ''']''', also referred to as "'''Wikiquette'''", on how to work with others on ]. |
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Misplaced Pages contributors come from many different countries and cultures. We have different views, perspectives, and backgrounds, sometimes varying widely. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an encyclopedia. |
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Misplaced Pages's contributors come from many different countries and cultures. We have many different views, perspectives, opinions, and backgrounds, sometimes varying widely. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an international online encyclopedia. |
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This page offers some principles of "'''Wikiquette'''" — guidelines on how to work with others on Misplaced Pages. You can read about more basic conventions at the ] page. |
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==Principles of Misplaced Pages etiquette== |
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== Principles of Misplaced Pages etiquette == |
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* ]. Misplaced Pages has worked remarkably well so far based on a policy of nearly complete freedom to edit. People come here to collaborate and write good articles. |
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* ]. Misplaced Pages has worked remarkably well so far based on a policy of nearly complete freedom to edit. People come here to collaborate and write good articles. |
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* Remember the ]: Treat others the way you would want to be treated. |
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* Be polite. |
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* Be polite. |
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**People can't see you or know for sure your mood. Irony isn't always obvious, and blunt, raw text can easily appear rude. Be careful of the words you choose — what you intended might not be what others think. |
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* Keep in mind that raw text may be ambiguous and often seems ruder than the same words coming verbally from a person standing in front of you. Irony is not always obvious when written. Remember that text comes without facial expressions, vocal inflection, or body language. Be careful when choosing the words you write: what you actually are trying to convey might not be interpreted in the same way by others who read it. |
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* ] your posts to talk pages (not articles!). |
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** Likewise, be careful with how you interpret messages, discussions, and responses made by other users: what you believe to understand from messages and discussions might not have translated 100% correctly compared to what others actually meant to say and how. |
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* ] |
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* ] work towards an agreement, and keep the principle of ] as the primary objective and goal when working out disagreements and ] with others. |
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* Argue facts, not personalities. |
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* ]. |
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* Don't ignore questions. |
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* Do not intentionally ]. Apologize if you inadvertently do so. |
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** If another disagrees with your edit, provide good reasons why you think it's appropriate. |
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* Do not ignore reasonable questions. |
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* Concede a point, when you have no response to it; or admit when you disagree based on intuition or taste. |
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* If someone disagrees with your edit, provide good reasons why you think that it is appropriate. |
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** Don't make people debate positions you don't really hold. |
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* Concede a point when you have no response to it, or admit when you disagree based on ]. |
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* Be prepared to apologize. |
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* Although it is an understandably difficult task to perform while you're engaged in an intense or heated argument or dispute, if other editors are not behaving as civilly as you would like or expect them to be, respond to those users in the discussion with ''more'' civility, not with less. That way, you can be certain that your behavior and demeanor is not moving towards open conflict and ], and that you're not stooping to their level of behavior in order to "bite back". By your own actions and by staying positive and civil, you're actively doing something about the problem. Try to treat others with dignity and respect at ''all times'' — even uncivil editors are people as well. |
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**In animated discussions, we often say things we later wish we hadn't. Say so. |
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* It may help to politely let the others know if you are not comfortable with their tone (e.g., "I feel that you have been sarcastic above, and I don't feel good about it. Let's try to resolve the issue at-hand"). |
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* Forgive and forget. |
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* Be prepared to apologize. In animated or heated discussions, we can often get caught up with our emotions and say things we later wish we hadn't said as a result. If this becomes the case, say so and apologize. |
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*Recognize your own biases and keep them in check. |
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* ]. |
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* Give praise when due. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, especially in an environment that often requires compromise. Drop a friendly note on user's talk pages, or list them at ] |
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* Recognize your own biases and keep them in check. |
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* Remove or summarize resolved disputes that you initiated. |
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* Give praise when it's due. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, especially in an environment that often requires compromise. Drop a friendly note on users' talk pages or (better yet) leave them a ]. |
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* Help mediate disagreements between others. |
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* Remove or summarize resolved disputes that you initiated. |
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* If you're arguing, take a break; if you're mediating, recommend a break. |
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* Help mediate disagreements and arguments between others. |
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**Come back after a week or two. If no one is mediating, and you think mediation is needed, enlist someone. |
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* ] and ''"thank you"''. |
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**Walk away or find another Misplaced Pages article to distract yourself — there are {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} articles on Misplaced Pages! Take up a ] or ], or lend your much-needed services at ] and ]. Or ]. |
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* Take it slowly. If you are angry, spend time away from Misplaced Pages instead of posting or editing. Come back in a day or in a week. You may find that someone else made the desired change or comment for you. If you think mediation is needed, enlist someone to help. Find another Misplaced Pages article to distract yourself — there are {{NUMBEROFARTICLES}} articles on the English Misplaced Pages. Take up a ], lend your much-needed services at ], or ]. |
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* Request a list of other articles to work on, provided by ]. |
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* Remember ]. |
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* Remember ]. |
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* Review the list of ]. |
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* Review the list of ], and exert conscious efforts during editing or content expansion in order to avoid them. |
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* ], and stay within compliance of Misplaced Pages's ] (except where ] apply). |
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* Be ]. |
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* When reverting other people's edits, give a rationale for the revert (both in the ] and on the article's talk page, if necessary) and be prepared to enter into an extended discussion with other users over the edits in question. Calmly explaining your thinking and rationale to others in a civil manner can often result in the users agreeing with you; being dogmatic, defensive, or uncommunicative will often evoke the same behavior in others, and can get you embroiled in an ]. |
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*Avoid reverts and deletions whenever possible, and stay within the ] except in cases of clear vandalism. Explain reversions in the edit summary box. |
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* Unless you have an excellent reason not to do so, ] your posts to ] as well as other discussion pages. (don't use signatures with any edits made to articles). |
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** Amend, edit, ]. |
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* Do not use jargon that others might not understand (or, in cases of "Misplaced Pages jargon", set the word or phrase in question to be a ] to a Misplaced Pages or help page that explains the particular term). Use acronyms carefully and clarify if there is the possibility of any doubt or confusion. |
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===Avoid indirect criticism=== |
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== How to avoid abuse of Talk pages == |
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{{shortcut|WP:INDCRIT}} |
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Avoid use of unexplained ] and other means of implying criticism or making indirect criticism when you are writing in edit comments and talk pages. Write clearly, plainly, and concisely, and do so in a way that allows other editors to easily respond to you. |
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Keep in mind that sarcasm cannot easily be conveyed in writing and may be misinterpreted or mistranslated. Insinuation and ] should be avoided when expressing constructive criticism. This also helps the editor receiving the criticism to correctly understand your demeanor and respond to your concerns. This can particularly help editors for whom ] or aid those who have trouble natively understanding written English. |
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Most people take pride in their work and in their point of view. Egos can easily get hurt in editing, but Talk pages are not a place for striking back. They're a good place to ''comfort'' or undo damage to egos, but most of all they're for forging agreements that are best for the articles they're attached to. |
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When this style of communication is necessary in the interest of being concise or illustrative, it is best to explain the intended meaning of your use of scare quotes or other indirection immediately afterward. |
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===Here are a few things to bear in mind=== |
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Of course, criticism communicated in any manner and concerning any subject must be ], should reflect the assumption of good faith as described in the ], should not constitute or exhibit the ], and should comply with other ]. If directed generally towards an editor's behavior or other aspects of talk page commentary, any and all criticism made {{strong|must not}} constitute a ''personal attack'' as described in Misplaced Pages's "]" policy. See also the essay "]" for a viewpoint on the latter form of criticism. |
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* Misplaced Pages articles are supposed to represent all views (more at ]). The Talk ("discussion") pages are not a place to debate value judgements about which of those views are right or wrong or better. If you want to do that, there are venues such as ], public ]s and other ]s. Use the Talk pages to discuss the accuracy/inaccuracy, POV bias, or other problems in the article, not as a ] for ]. |
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* If someone disagrees with you, this does not necessarily mean that (1) the person hates you, (2) the person thinks you're stupid, (3) the person is stupid, (4) the person is evil, etc. When people post opinions without practical implications for the article, it's best to just leave them be. |
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* Misplaced Pages invites you to ]. Before initiating discussion, ask yourself: Is this really necessary to discuss? Could I provide a ] with my edit and wait for others to quibble if they like? |
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* You can always take a discussion to e-mail or to your user page if it's not essential to the article. |
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===A few more tips on polite discussion=== |
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== How to avoid abuse of talk pages == |
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{{shortcut|WP:AVOIDABUSE}} |
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* Most people take pride in their work and in their point of view. Egos can easily get hurt in editing, but talk pages are not a place for striking back. They are a good place to ''comfort'' or undo damage to egos, but most of all, they are for reaching agreements that are best for the articles to which they are attached. If someone disagrees with you, try to understand why, and take the time to provide good reasons why you think that your method, way, or strategy is better by starting or responding to discussions on relevant talk pages. |
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* The improvement process employed by Misplaced Pages is constant, and the critical analysis of prior work is a necessary part of that process. If you are not prepared to have your work thoroughly scrutinized, analyzed, and criticized, or if your ego is easily damaged, then Misplaced Pages is probably not the place for you. |
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* Do not ''label'' or '']'' people or their edits. |
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** Labeling editors or their edits with terms like "racist" or "sexist" make people defensive. This makes it hard to discuss articles productively. If you must criticize, do it politely and constructively. Avoid usage of invectives and expletives, even if used without an intention to attack any editor, as these may be easily construed to be personal attacks and may not productively add to a collegial and congenial environment. |
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* Always make clear what point you are addressing, especially in replies. |
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* Always make clear what point you are addressing, especially in replies. |
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** Quoting a post is O.K., but stating how you interpreted it is better. Before proceeding to say that someone is wrong, concede you might have misinterpreted him or her. |
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** In responding, quoting a post is acceptable, but paraphrasing it or stating how you interpreted it is often better. Qualify your interpretation by writing, "As you seem to be saying" or "as I understand you" to acknowledge that you made an interpretation. Before going on to say that someone is wrong, concede you might have misinterpreted them. |
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** Interweaving rebuttals into the middle of another person's comments disrupts the flow of the discussion and breaks the attribution of comments. It may be intelligible to some, but it is virtually impossible for the rest of the community to follow. |
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* Don't ''label'' or '']'' people or their edits. |
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*Editing another editor's signed talk page comments is generally frowned upon, even if the edit merely corrects spelling or grammar. |
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**Terms like "racist," "sexist" or even "poorly written" make people defensive. This makes it hard to discuss articles productively. |
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== Working towards a neutral point of view == |
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When dealing with suspected violations of ]: |
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# Inquire politely on the article's talk page about aspects of the article you consider non-NPOV (unless they are really egregious), and suggest replacements. |
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# If no reply comes, make the substitutions. (Use your watchlist to keep track of what you want to do.) |
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# If a reply comes, try to agree about the wording to be used. That way, when an agreement is reached, an ] is very unlikely. Waiting to make an edit until an agreement has been reached has the disadvantage that the article stays in an unsatisfying state for a longer period, but an article that changes frequently does not create a good impression with other Wikipedians or of the project as a whole. |
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=== A few things to bear in mind === |
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* Misplaced Pages articles are supposed to be neutral, instead of endorsing one viewpoint over another, even if you believe something strongly. Talk (discussion) pages are not a place to debate value judgments about which of those views are right or wrong or better. If you want to do that, there are venues such as social media, public ], and other ]s. Use article talk pages to discuss the accuracy/inaccuracy, POV bias, or other problems in the article, not as a ] for ]. |
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* If someone disagrees with you, this does not necessarily mean that the person hates you, that the person thinks that you are stupid, that the person is stupid, or that the person is mean. When people post opinions without practical implications for the article, it is best to just leave them alone. What you think is not necessarily right or necessarily wrong—a common example of this is ]. Before you think about insulting someone's views, think about what would happen if they insulted yours. Remember that anything written on Misplaced Pages is kept permanently, even if it is not visible. |
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* Misplaced Pages invites you to ], though it is wise to remember that it is possible to be ''too'' bold. Before initiating discussion, ask yourself: is this necessary to discuss? Could I provide a ] with my edit and wait for others to express opinions if they like? Might my actions have consequences that I have not considered? |
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* You can always take a discussion to ] or to your user page, if it is not essential to the article. |
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* If you know you do not get along with someone, do not interact with that person more than you need to do. Unnecessary conflict distracts everyone from the task of making a good encyclopedia and is unpleasant. Following someone you dislike around Misplaced Pages—]—can be disruptive. If you do not get along with someone, try to become friendlier. If that does not help the situation then it is probably best to avoid them. |
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* Though editing articles is acceptable and encouraged, editing the signed words of another editor on a talk page or other discussion page is generally ''not'' acceptable, as it can alter the meaning of the original comment and misrepresent the original editor's thoughts. Avoid editing another editor's comments unless necessary. |
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===Other words of advice=== |
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== Other words of advice == |
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{{shortcut|WP:DOOR}}{{Hatnote|WP:DOOR is formerly a shortcut to ].}} |
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Parting words of advice from ]: |
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Parting words of advice from ]:<ref>Posted by ] on on February 14, 2003</ref> |
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*to be open and warmly welcoming, not insular, |
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* Be open and warmly welcoming, not insular; |
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*to be focused singlemindedly on writing an encyclopedia, not on ]-style debate, |
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* Be focused single-mindedly on writing an encyclopedia; |
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*to recognize and praise the best work, work that is detailed, factual, well-informed, and well-referenced, |
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* Recognize and praise the best work: work that is detailed, factual, well-informed, and well-referenced; |
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*to work to understand what neutrality requires and why it is so essential to and good for this project, |
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* Work to understand what neutrality requires and why it is so essential to and good for this project; |
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*to treat your fellow productive, well-meaning members of Misplaced Pages with respect and good will, |
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* Treat your fellow productive, well-meaning members of Misplaced Pages with respect and good will; |
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*to attract and honor good people who know a lot and can write about it well, and |
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* Attract and honor good people who know a lot and can write about it well, and; |
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*to show the door to trolls, vandals, and wiki-anarchists, who if permitted would waste your time and create a poisonous atmosphere here. |
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* Show the door to trolls, vandals, and wiki-anarchists who, if permitted, would waste your time and create a poisonous atmosphere here. |
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An outline for a Wikicovenant from ]: |
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For more advice of a similar nature, see ]. |
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* Make others feel welcome (even longtime participants; even those you dislike) |
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* Create and continue a friendly environment |
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* Turn the other cheek (which includes walking away from potential edit wars) |
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* Give praise, especially to those you don't know (most people like to know they are wanted and appreciated) |
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* Forgive. |
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== See also == |
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== What to do in case of problems == |
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; Policies and guidelines |
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See ]. |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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; Other related pages |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}} |
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Misplaced Pages's contributors come from many different countries and cultures. We have many different views, perspectives, opinions, and backgrounds, sometimes varying widely. Treating others with respect is key to collaborating effectively in building an international online encyclopedia.
Keep in mind that sarcasm cannot easily be conveyed in writing and may be misinterpreted or mistranslated. Insinuation and double entendre should be avoided when expressing constructive criticism. This also helps the editor receiving the criticism to correctly understand your demeanor and respond to your concerns. This can particularly help editors for whom English is not a first language or aid those who have trouble natively understanding written English.
When this style of communication is necessary in the interest of being concise or illustrative, it is best to explain the intended meaning of your use of scare quotes or other indirection immediately afterward.
Of course, criticism communicated in any manner and concerning any subject must be civil, should reflect the assumption of good faith as described in the relevant guideline, should not constitute or exhibit the biting of newcomers, and should comply with other Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines. If directed generally towards an editor's behavior or other aspects of talk page commentary, any and all criticism made must not constitute a personal attack as described in Misplaced Pages's "no personal attacks" policy. See also the essay "Avoid personal remarks" for a viewpoint on the latter form of criticism.
