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Revision as of 08:06, 9 October 2005 view sourceIeopo (talk | contribs)86 editsm Fits the english better. Compound predicate comparison works better with likened than it does akin; it is less dissonant. ← Previous edit Latest revision as of 19:17, 16 December 2024 view source RemoveRedSky (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers1,400 editsmNo edit summary 
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{{guideline}} <noinclude>{{Short description|Misplaced Pages editing guideline}}
{{redirect|WP:BOLD|the Manual of Style guideline on the use of boldface in Misplaced Pages text formatting|MOS:BOLD}}
{| align="right"
{{redirect|WP:Rewrite|an essay on rewriting the rules of Misplaced Pages|WP:REWRITE|the cleanup template|Template:Cleanup rewrite}}
| ]
{{pp-protect|small=yes}}
|-
{{pp-move-indef}}
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{{subcat guideline|editing guideline|B|WP:BOLD|WP:BEBOLD|WP:DOIT|WP:FIXIT|WP:SOFIXIT|WP:BOLDLY|WP:JUSTDOIT|WP:GOFORIT}}
{{style}}
</noinclude>
|}
{{nutshell|Go for it.}}
{{Shortcut|]<br>]}}


] <!--Alt text is for the visually impaired, so it should be a transcription of the dialogue-->
The Misplaced Pages community exhorts users to '''be bold''' in updating articles.
{{Guideline list}}
]s develop faster when people fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure the language is precise, and so on.
Expect everyone to be bold.
It's okay.
It's what everyone expects.
How many times have you read something and thought, "]?" Misplaced Pages not only allows but ''wants'' you to add, revise and edit the article '''yourself'''.
It does require some amount of politeness, but it works.
You'll see.


We would like <em>everyone</em> to '''be bold''' and help make Misplaced Pages a better encyclopedia. How many times have you read something and thought—''Why doesn't this page have ]?'' ]s like ours develop faster when everybody helps to fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure wording is accurate, etc.
If someone writes an inferior article, a merely humorous article, an article stub, or outright ], don't worry about his/her feelings. Correct it, add to it, and, if it's a total waste of time, replace it with ]. That's the nature of a Wiki.


'''Fix it yourself instead of just talking about it.''' In the time it takes to write about the problem, you could instead improve the encyclopedia. Misplaced Pages not only lets you add and edit articles: it ''wants'' you to do it.
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 Misplaced Pages as good as it can possibly be.


'''Do not be upset if your bold edits get reverted.''' Of course, others here will edit what you write. ]! They, like all of us, just wish to make Misplaced Pages as good an encyclopedia as it can possibly be. Also, when you see a conflict in a ], do not be just a "mute spectator"; be bold and drop your opinion there; see ] for more! On some of the less prominent articles on Misplaced Pages that have a lower editing rate, your bold edit might not be responded to immediately. Think about it this way: if you don't find one of your edits being reverted now and then, perhaps you're not being bold enough.
==...but don't be reckless!==
{{TOC limit|2}}
New users in particular are often entranced by the openness of ] and dive right in. That's a good thing. But please note: ''be bold in updating pages'' does not mean that you should make large changes or deletions to long articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories, such as ] or ]. In addition, making large-scale changes to ], which are recognized as Misplaced Pages's best articles for their completeness, accuracy, and neutrality, is often a bad idea.


== Be careful ==
In many such cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. An incautious edit to such an article can be likened to stirring up a ]'s nest, and other users who are involved in the page may react angrily. Of course, the editing of glaring grammatical errors is welcome.
{{anchor|... but don't be reckless!|... but please be careful!}}
]
{{shortcut|WP:CAREFUL|WP:RECKLESS}}


Although the boldness of contributors like you is one of Misplaced Pages's greatest assets, it is important that you take care of the common good and not ] or recklessly. Of course, any changes you make that turn out badly can be reverted easily, usually painlessly, and it is important not to feel insulted if your changes are reverted or edited further. However, some significant changes can be long-lasting and harder to fix. If you're unsure of anything, just ].
If you encounter an article on a controversial subject that you would like to edit, it's a good idea first to 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.


Also, changes to articles on ] with long histories or ], or to ] and ], should be done with extra care. In many cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. A careless edit to such an article might stir up a latent conflict, and other users who are involved in the page may become defensive. If you would like to make a significant edit—not just a simple ]—to an article on a controversial subject, it is a useful idea to first read the article in its entirety and skim the comments on the ]. On controversial articles, the safest course is to ] and find ] before making changes; but there are nevertheless situations in which bold edits can safely be made, even to contentious articles. Always use your very best editorial judgment in these cases and be sure to read the talk page.
If you are unsure how others will view your contributions, and you want to change or delete anything substantial in the text, it's a good idea to either:


Being bold is not an excuse to, even temporarily, violate the policy on ].
#Copy it to the ] and list your objections there (if the material in question is a sentence or so in length)
{{shortcut|WP:BOLDNOTOBLIGATORY|WP:BNO}}
#List your objections on the Talk page, but leave the main article as is (if the material is substantially longer than a sentence)
{{anchor|BOLDNOTOBLIGATORY}}Often it is easier to see that something is not right rather than to know exactly what ''would'' be right. We do not require anyone to be bold; after all, commenting that something 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 and do it yourself.


== Non-article namespaces ==
Then, wait a bit for responses. If no one objects, proceed, but always move large deletions to the Talk page 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 be sure to leave a descriptive ] detailing your change and reasoning.


{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Administration#Data structure and development}}
==Don't let that scare you off!==
With the vast majority of articles, feel free to dive right in and make broad changes as you see fit. It's only with a few very sensitive subjects that caution is better advised, and you'll recognize those right away. And even if you don't, as long as you have an appetite for debate, '''being bold''' is generally a defensible position. You're unlikely to be the first person to have made a change to a controversial article, and you won't be the last. That said, contributions that add new facts and information to an article are likely to be more welcome than contributions that just delete some of the content.


Although editors are encouraged to be bold in updating ''articles'', more caution is sometimes required when editing pages in non-article namespaces. Such pages are identified by a ] prefix. For example, this page, ''Misplaced Pages:Be bold'', has the "Misplaced Pages:" prefix; if it were called simply ''Be bold'' (with no prefix) it would be an article.
==Actions and edits with widespread effects==
Some caution is also advised if your changes affect many other pages, such as editing a ] 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 ] 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.


Problems may arise for a variety of reasons in different contexts in non-article namespaces. These problems should be taken into account in deciding whether to be bold, and how bold to be.
==See also==
*]
*]
*] (''dare to know'')


] === Misplaced Pages namespace ===


{{Main|Misplaced Pages:Policies and guidelines#Content changes}}
]
{{See|Misplaced Pages:Project namespace#Content}}
]

]
Misplaced Pages does not "enshrine" old practices: bold changes to its ] are sometimes the best way to adapt and improve the encyclopedia. In this case, "bold" refers to boldness of idea; such ideas are most commonly ] to best formulate their implementation.
]

]
The admonition "be careful" is especially important in relation to ], where key parts may be phrased in a particular way to reflect a very hard-won compromise—which may not be obvious to those unfamiliar with the background. In these cases, it is also often better to ]. However, spelling and grammatical errors can and should be fixed as soon as they are noticed.
]

]
Discussing changes to other Misplaced Pages-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 Misplaced Pages space for later reference, so the same arguments don't need to be made over and over again.
]

]
=== Template namespace ===
]

]
] {{See|Misplaced Pages:Template namespace#Guidelines}}

]
One must be especially careful when being bold with ]: updating them can have far-reaching consequences because one change can affect lots of pages at once. Moreover, some templates are part of a wide-ranging, uniform ''system'' of templates ''across'' Misplaced Pages, e.g. ] and ]. Remember, all source code is easily broken by untested changes (but always quite fixable).
]

]
Because of these concerns, many ] are ] from editing. Before editing templates, consider proposing any changes on the associated talk pages and announcing the proposed change on pages of appropriate ]. Templates often have associated ]; respectively these are a place for the proposed modified template, and a place where the proposal may be trialed in comparison with the existing version.
]

]
=== Category namespace ===

Creating new categories or reorganizing the category structure may come to affect many pages. Consider the guidelines on ] and ], and if what you're doing might be considered controversial (especially if it concerns ]), propose changes at ], also mentioning them on pages of appropriate ].

=== File namespace ===

{{Main|Misplaced Pages:File names}}

Be bold in adding information to the description of an existing image. However, 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. Therefore, you must always be careful.

=== User namespace ===

{{Main|Misplaced Pages:User pages}}

It is generally recommended that you do not edit another Wikipedian's '']'' or comments left on '']'' (other than your own, and even then do not be reckless). Fixing ] 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.

=== Portal namespace ===

Regarding changes to graphical layout? See the next section. Note that the ] used for ] is not necessarily arbitrary. For example, most portals related to countries use the colors of the nation's flag. It is a good idea to propose design changes on the talk page first.

== Graphical layout changes ==

{{shortcut|WP:GLC|WP:BOLDGRAPHICS}}

Making major changes to the graphical layout of certain pages that are not articles requires caution (examples below). It is often best to test changes first (in a sandbox page in your userspace, or a ] of the page in question), and to discuss the proposed change with other editors before making it live. When many users edit pages for layout, different plans can conflict, and the page may get worse rather than better.

This is particularly true of highly visible pages, such as those linked from the navigation boxes on the left of the screen. These often use intricate formatting to convey their information, and a lot of work has gone into making them as user-friendly as possible. Moreover, some pages form groups whose formatting is intended to be uniform. ''You should establish consensus ''before'' making design edits to these types of pages.'' Examples include the ] (which in any case is permanently ]), the ], the ] group of pages, and the group consisting of ] and its subpages, as well as ]. This does not apply to articles or normal portals.
{{clear}}

== See also ==

<!-- PLEASE MAINTAIN ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
* ] (essay)
* ] (essay)
* ] (tutorial)
* ] (essay)
* ] (policy)
* ] (policy)
* ] (essay)
* {{tl|Sofixit}} (template message encouraging bold editing)
* ] (humorous essay)
<noinclude>
{{Misplaced Pages policies and guidelines}}
]
]
</noinclude>

Latest revision as of 19:17, 16 December 2024

Misplaced Pages editing guideline "WP:BOLD" redirects here. For the Manual of Style guideline on the use of boldface in Misplaced Pages text formatting, see MOS:BOLD. "WP:Rewrite" redirects here. For an essay on rewriting the rules of Misplaced Pages, see WP:REWRITE. For the cleanup template, see Template:Cleanup rewrite.

Blue tickThis page documents an English Misplaced Pages editing guideline.
Editors should generally follow it, though exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on this guideline's talk page.		Shortcuts
This page in a nutshell: Go for it.
Adult: Misplaced Pages has grammatical and orthographic mistakes! See? Were this a serious publication, I would send a letter to the director, and another to the editorial chief! Child: Wouldn't it be easier and faster to just correct them yourself?
... and the child is right to be bold.
Misplaced Pages guidelines
Behavioral
Discussions
Content
Editing
Categorization
Style
Deletion
Project content
Other
Search

We would like everyone to be bold and help make Misplaced Pages a better encyclopedia. How many times have you read something and thought—Why doesn't this page have correct spelling, proper grammar, or a better layout? Wikis like ours develop faster when everybody helps to fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure wording is accurate, etc.

Fix it yourself instead of just talking about it. In the time it takes to write about the problem, you could instead improve the encyclopedia. Misplaced Pages not only lets you add and edit articles: it wants you to do it.

Do not be upset if your bold edits get reverted. Of course, others here will edit what you write. Do not take it personally! They, like all of us, just wish to make Misplaced Pages 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; see the official policy on talking and editing for more! On some of the less prominent articles on Misplaced Pages that have a lower editing rate, your bold edit might not be responded to immediately. Think about it this way: if you don't find one of your edits being reverted now and then, perhaps you're not being bold enough.

Be careful

Shortcuts

Although the boldness of contributors like you is one of Misplaced Pages's greatest assets, it is important that you take care of the common good and not edit disruptively or recklessly. Of course, any changes you make that turn out badly can be reverted easily, usually painlessly, and it is important not to feel insulted if your changes are reverted or edited further. However, some significant changes can be long-lasting and harder to fix. If you're unsure of anything, just ask for advice.

Also, changes to articles on complex, controversial subjects with long histories or active sanctions, or to Featured Articles and Good Articles, should be done with extra care. In many cases, the text as you find it has come into being after long and arduous negotiations between Wikipedians of diverse backgrounds and points of view. A careless edit to such an article might stir up a latent conflict, and other users who are involved in the page may become defensive. If you would like to make a significant edit—not just a simple copyedit—to an article on a controversial subject, it is a useful idea to first read the article in its entirety and skim the comments on the talk page. On controversial articles, the safest course is to be cautious and find consensus before making changes; but there are nevertheless situations in which bold edits can safely be made, even to contentious articles. Always use your very best editorial judgment in these cases and be sure to read the talk page.

Being bold is not an excuse to, even temporarily, violate the policy on material about living persons.

Shortcuts

Often it is easier to see that something is not right rather than to know exactly what would be right. We do not require anyone to be bold; after all, commenting that something 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 and do it yourself.

Non-article namespaces

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Administration § Data structure and development

Although editors are encouraged to be bold in updating articles, more caution is sometimes required when editing pages in non-article namespaces. Such pages are identified by a namespace prefix. For example, this page, Misplaced Pages:Be bold, has the "Misplaced Pages:" prefix; if it were called simply Be bold (with no prefix) it would be an article.

Problems may arise for a variety of reasons in different contexts in non-article namespaces. These problems should be taken into account in deciding whether to be bold, and how bold to be.

Misplaced Pages namespace

Main page: Misplaced Pages:Policies and guidelines § Content changes Further information: Misplaced Pages:Project namespace § Content

Misplaced Pages does not "enshrine" old practices: bold changes to its policies and guidelines are sometimes the best way to adapt and improve the encyclopedia. In this case, "bold" refers to boldness of idea; such ideas are most commonly raised and discussed first to best formulate their implementation.

The admonition "be careful" is especially important in relation to policies and guidelines, where key parts may be phrased in a particular way to reflect a very hard-won compromise—which may not be obvious to those unfamiliar with the background. In these cases, it is also 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 Misplaced Pages-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 Misplaced Pages space for later reference, so the same arguments don't need to be made over and over again.

Template namespace

Further information: Misplaced Pages:Template namespace § Guidelines

One must be especially careful when being bold with templates: updating them can have far-reaching consequences because one change can affect lots of pages at once. Moreover, some templates are part of a wide-ranging, uniform system of templates across Misplaced Pages, e.g. infoboxes and stubs. Remember, all source code is easily broken by untested changes (but always quite fixable).

Because of these concerns, many heavily used templates are indefinitely protected from editing. Before editing templates, consider proposing any changes on the associated talk pages and announcing the proposed change on pages of appropriate WikiProjects. Templates often have associated sandbox and testcases pages; respectively these are a place for the proposed modified template, and a place where the proposal may be trialed in comparison with the existing version.

Category namespace

Creating new categories or reorganizing the category structure may come to affect many pages. Consider the guidelines on categorization and overcategorization, and if what you're doing might be considered controversial (especially if it concerns categories for living people), propose changes at Categories for discussion, also mentioning them on pages of appropriate WikiProjects.

File namespace

Main page: Misplaced Pages:File names

Be bold in adding information to the description of an existing image. However, 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. Therefore, you must always be careful.

User namespace

Main page: Misplaced Pages:User pages

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.

Portal namespace

Regarding changes to graphical layout? See the next section. Note that the color scheme used for portals is not necessarily arbitrary. For example, most portals related to countries use the colors of the nation's flag. It is a good idea to propose design changes on the talk page first.

Graphical layout changes

Shortcuts

Making major changes to the graphical layout of certain pages that are not articles requires caution (examples below). It is often best to test changes first (in a sandbox page in your userspace, or a subpage of the page in question), and to discuss the proposed change with other editors before making it live. When many users edit pages for layout, different plans can conflict, and the page may get worse rather than better.

This is particularly true of highly visible pages, such as those linked from the navigation boxes on the left of the screen. These often use intricate formatting to convey their information, and a lot of work has gone into making them as user-friendly as possible. Moreover, some pages form groups whose formatting is intended to be uniform. You should establish consensus before making design edits to these types of pages. Examples include the Main Page (which in any case is permanently protected), the Community Portal, the Featured content group of pages, and the group consisting of Misplaced Pages:Contents and its subpages, as well as Portal:Current events. This does not apply to articles or normal portals.

See also

Misplaced Pages key policies and guidelines (?)
Content (?)
P
G
Conduct (?)
P
G
Deletion (?)
P
Enforcement (?)
P
Editing (?)
P
G
Style
Classification
Project content (?)
G
WMF (?)
P
Categories: