Wiktionary:Be bold
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This page is a soft rule on Wiktionary. Many editors agree with acting this way. It is a good idea to follow it, but it is not a hard rule. Feel free to change the page as needed, but please use the talk page to suggest any big changes. |
People who edit Simple English Wiktionary want users to be bold in making and changing entries. Wikis like this one grow faster when many people fix problems, correct grammar, add facts, etc. Expect others to be bold. It is okay. It is what everyone expects. Have you read something and thought, "There are many errors here"? Wiktionary lets you fix bad entries, and it also wants you to fix them. It is important to be polite, but being bold works. You will see.
If someone writes a bad entry, a funny entry, an entry stub (very short entry), or nonsense, do not worry about the feelings of the person who made it. Fix it, add to it, and, if it is nonsense, replace it. That is the way a wiki works.
And, of course, others here will boldly and mercilessly edit what you write. Don't take it personally. We all only want to make Wiktionary as good as possible.
...but don't be reckless!
New users often enjoy the openness of Wiktionary and just start editing. That is a good thing. But please note: 'be bold in changing pages' does not mean that you should change everything on a long entry, especially entries which people argue about, and entries that others have been working on for a long time. Also, be objective with the facts, not opinionated.
Often an entry is the product of a lot of work to agree between Wiktionarians of many different backgrounds and points of view. An edit that does not respect that work may make people angry.
If you want to edit an entry on a subject about which people disagree, first read the entry to the end, read the comments on the talk page, and look at the page history to understand the history of the entry and its state. Sometimes it helps to read some related entries, since what looks like a problem or something that was left out may not be one.
Always move big sections you remove to the Talk page and make a list of your reasons for removal so that other people will understand. Always leave an change summary that describes your change and reasons.