Wikipedia:Be bold: Difference between revisions

{{redirect|WP:BOLD|the Manual of Style guideline on the use of boldface in Wikipedia text formatting|MOS:BOLD}}

{{redirect|WP:Rewrite|an essay on rewriting the rules of Wikipedia|WP:REWRITE|the cleanup template|Template:Cleanup rewrite}}

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{{subcat guideline|editing guideline|B|WP:BOLD|WP:DOIT|WP:FIXIT|WP:BOLDLY|WP:JUSTDOIT|WP:GOFORIT}}

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{{Guideline list}}

 

 

'''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. Wikipedia not only lets you add and edit articles: it ''wants'' you to do it.

 

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== Be careful ==

{{anchor|... but don't be reckless!|... but please be careful!}}

{{shortcut|WP:CAREFUL|WP:RECKLESS}}

 

 

Also, changes to articles on [[WP:Controversial articles|complex, controversial subjects]] with long histories or [[Wikipedia:General_sanctions#Active_sanctions|active sanctions]], or to [[WP:FA|Featured Articles]] and [[WP:GA|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 [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk page]]. On controversial articles, the safest course is to [[WP:CAUTIOUS|be cautious]] and find [[WP:CON|consensus]] before making changes, but there are situations when bold edits can safely be made to contentious articles. Always use your very best editorial judgment in these cases and be sure to read the talk page.

{{See|Wikipedia:Template namespace#Guidelines}}

 

 

Because of these concerns, many [[Wikipedia:List of indefinitely protected pages#High use templates|heavily used templates]] are [[WP:HRT|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 [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProjects]]. Templates often have associated [[WP:TESTCASES|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.

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 [[WP:subpage|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.

 

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* {{tl|Sofixit}} (template message encouraging bold editing)

* [[User:Somebody "Notme" Else|User:NotMe]] (humorous essay)

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{{Wikipedia policies and guidelines}}