Wikipedia:Be bold: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Wikimedia page on the principle of encouraging unilateral efforts to improve a project}}
{{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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{{pp-protect|small=yes}}
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{subcat guideline|editing guideline|B|WP:BOLD|WP:DOIT|WP:FIXIT|WP:BOLDLY|WP:JUSTDOIT
{{nutshell|Please feel free to make improvements to Wikipedia in a fair and accurate manner.}}
{{Guideline list}}
'''Be bold can be explained in three words: "Go for it."'''
'''Be bold''' can best be explained in three words: "Go for it." The Wikipedia community encourages users to be bold when updating the encyclopedia. We would like <em>everyone</em> to be bold and help make Wikipedia a better encyclopedia. [[Wiki]]s like ours develop faster when everybody helps to fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, make sure wording is accurate, etc. How many times have you read something and thought—''Why doesn't this page have [[Wikipedia:Basic copyediting|correct spelling, proper grammar, or a better layout]]?'' Wikipedia not only lets you add and edit articles: it ''wants'' you to do it. This does require [[WP:CIVIL|politeness]], but it works. You'll see. Of course, others here will edit what you write. [[Wikipedia:Assume good faith|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 [[Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines|talk page]], do not be just a "mute spectator"; be bold and drop your opinion there!▼
▲'''
'''Fix it yourself instead of just talking about it.''' If you notice an unambiguous error or problem that any reasonable person would recommend fixing, the best course of action may be to ''be bold and fix it yourself'' rather than bringing it to someone's attention in the form of a comment or complaint. In the time it takes to write about the problem, you could instead improve the encyclopedia.▼
▲'''Fix it yourself instead of just talking about it.
'''Do not be upset if your bold edits get reverted.''' [[Francis Bacon]], an early advocate of [[trial and error]] followed by [[Empirical observation|observation]] to [[Scientific method|gain knowledge]], once said: "Great boldness is seldom without some absurdity."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bacon|first=Francis|title=Essays – Of Boldness|archive-date=2022-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108033050/https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56463/56463-h/56463-h.htm|year=1625|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56463/56463-h/56463-h.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Instead of getting upset, read [[Wikipedia:Assume good faith]] and [[Wikipedia:Civility]]. After the reversion of your bold edit, you might want to be bold while communicating on the [[WP:talk page|talk page]]s so as to not start an [[WP:edit war|edit war]]; see [[Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle]] for more. On some of the less-prominent articles on Wikipedia 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.▼
▲'''Do not be upset if your bold edits get reverted.
{{TOC limit|2}}
== Be careful ==
{{anchor|... but don't be reckless!|... but please be careful!}}
[[File:Be bold.svg|left|240px|frameless|alt=Be bold in updating pages]]
{{shortcut|WP:CAREFUL|WP:RECKLESS}}
'''Though the boldness of contributors like you is one of Wikipedia's greatest assets, it is important that you take care of the common good and not [[WP:Disruptive editing|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. But some significant changes can be long-lasting and harder to fix. If you're unsure of anything, just [[Wikipedia:Questions|ask for advice]].'''
'''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.'''
'''Being bold is not an excuse to, even temporarily, violate the policy on [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|material about living persons]].'''
{{shortcut|WP:BOLDNOTOBLIGATORY|WP:BNO}}
'''{{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 ==
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{{Main|Wikipedia: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 [[WP:namespace|namespace]] prefix. For example, this page, ''Wikipedia:Be bold'', has the "Wikipedia:" 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.'''
=== Wikipedia namespace ===
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{{See|Wikipedia:Project namespace#Content}}
'''Wikipedia does not "enshrine" old practices: bold changes to its [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|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 [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines#Content changes|raised and discussed first]] to best formulate their implementation.'''
'''The admonition "be careful" is especially important in relation to [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policies and guidelines]], where key parts may be phrased in a particular way to reflect a very hard-won,
'''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.'''
=== Template namespace ===
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{{See|Wikipedia:Template namespace#Guidelines}}
'''One must be especially careful when being bold with [[Wikipedia:Template namespace|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'' Wikipedia, e.g. [[Wikipedia:Glossary#Infobox|infoboxes]] and [[Wikipedia:Stub|stubs]]. Remember, all source code is easily broken by untested changes (but always quite fixable).'''
'''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.'''
=== Category namespace ===
'''Creating new categories or reorganizing the category structure may come to affect many pages. Consider the guidelines on [[WP:Categorization|categorization]] and [[WP:overcategorization|overcategorization]], and if what you're doing might be considered controversial (especially if it concerns [[WP:BLPCAT|categories for living people]]), propose changes at [[WP:CFD|Categories for discussion]], also mentioning them on pages of appropriate [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProjects]].'''
=== File namespace ===
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{{Main|Wikipedia: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 ===
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{{Main|Wikipedia:User pages}}
'''It is generally recommended that you do not edit another Wikipedian's ''[[Wikipedia:User page|user page]]'' or comments left on ''[[Wikipedia:Talk pages|talk pages]]'' (other than your own, and even then do not be reckless). Fixing [[WP:Vandalism|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 [[Wikipedia:Colours|color scheme]] used for [[WP:Portal|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 ==
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{{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 [[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.'''
'''This is particularly true of highly visible pages, such as those linked to 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
{{clear}}'''
== See also ==
<!-- PLEASE MAINTAIN ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
* '''[[Wikipedia:BOLD, revert, discuss cycle|BOLD, revert, discuss cycle]] (essay)'''
* '''[[Wikipedia:Can't break it|Can't break it]] (essay)'''
* '''[[Help:Introduction|Introduction to contributing]] (tutorial)'''
* '''[[Wikipedia:Edit this proposal|Edit this proposal]] (essay)'''
* '''[[Wikipedia:Editing policy|Editing policy]] (policy)'''
* '''[[Wikipedia:Ignore all rules|Ignore all rules]] (policy)'''
* '''[[Wikipedia:Old dogs and new tricks|Old dogs and new tricks]] (essay)'''
* '''{{tl|Sofixit}} (template message encouraging bold editing)'''
* ['''[User:Somebody "Notme" Else|User:NotMe]] (humorous essay)'''
== References ==
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[[Category:Wikipedia behavioral guidelines]]
[[Category:Wikipedia project content guidelines]]
[[ml:വിക്കിപീഡിയ:ധൈര്യശാലിയായി താളുകള് പുതുക്കുക]]
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