User:EF5/My philosophies

Here's 70 of my thoughts, viewpoints and philosophies about Wikipedia, in no particular order. Some will be noted for clarification and examples.

List

1. An encyclopedia can not improve in the long-term if consistency is the goal.
   1. Consistency isn't a suicide pact.
2. An editor who's first edit is blatant vandalism should be immediately blocked.
3. Those who point out perceived political biases are likely to be biased themselves.
4. Reporting a vandal at ANI just creates a streisand effect.
   1. Being at ANI is more stressful than the discussion or action that led to it.
5. You know an editor is in good faith if they ask a good question.
6. Deletionism isn't helpful to the project and creates conflicts.

7. 

   Using ALL CAPS in a comment doesn't emphasize a particular point more, that's what bold is for.

   Using ALL CAPS in a comment doesn't emphasize a particular point more, that's what bold is for.
8. If you have the attention of an LTA / blocked user, you're doing something right.
9. It's better to not engage with disruptive editors than to engage and get yourself in a one-sided argument.
10. It's easier to win an argument against a smart person than a stupid person.
11. Being "an expert" in a topic doesn't excuse adding uncited information to articles.
12. Twitter isn't reliable, no matter who the post is from.
13. Egging someone on who's clearly in a shitty mood should warrant a boomerang block.
14. Any administrator removed from their position for behavioral reasons should be permanently disqualified from being an administrator.
    1. Same goes for ArbCom members.
15. The project doesn't benefit from constant RfCs.
16. Making more than three comments in a row, replying to yourself, is bludgeoning.
17. FAC should be stressful, and if it isn't then you're doing something wrong.
18. Stating you don't have time to do something is better than saying yes and backing out.
19. GAN should be the goal for every article that is rated as C and B class.
20. Consensus only has one interpretation.
21. If you don't know who an RfA candidate is, just don't vote instead of voting "neutral".
22. Fuck Wikipediocracy.
    1. Users who have a habit of complaining about others off-wiki tend to end up blocked on-wiki.
23. Every Wikipedia user, if not passed away, will end up either inactive or blocked.

24. 

    The worst teammate is one who can't listen.

    The worst teammate is one who can't listen.
25. Discussing something on a talk page is better than through edit summaries.
26. IAR overlooks CRYSTAL.
27. It's okay to admit you're wrong; nobody will hold that against you.
28. If you screw up, you clean up the mess you made.
29. Disruptive editing usually won't stop once it starts.
30. Rage-quitting is the primary sign of a needed WikiBreak.
31. Don't try to override recently-set consensus, it just pisses everyone off.
32. You don't have unlimited chances to show that you've learned from a mistake, so use the chances the community gives you wisely.
33. Editcountitis is a sign of inexperience rather than experience.
34. Some articles will never be FAs.
35. Having a "childish" username doesn't always mean that the user behind the name is childish.
    1. Same goes for users with red-linked userpages.
36. If a user talk page is red, make it blue with a welcome message.
37. Awards and barnstars are only a marginal show of a user's experience.
38. Someone who sockpuppets for than more than six months (called an "LTA") should never be allowed back to the project.
39. The worst user is one who thinks they're above other users.
40. "Sorry" means nothing if you keep doing the action.

41. 

    Helping a new user is preferable to letting them get murdered by others.

    Helping a new user is preferable to letting them get murdered by others.
42. Being a younger editor does not necessarily make you less intelligent.
43. Don't push limits.
44. A single talk page message can make someone's day.
    1. A single talk page message can also ruin someone's day.
45. Write about what you want about, and don't let anything stop you.
46. "It won't happen again" is usually a sign that it'll happen again.
47. Articles above 20,000 bytes are not content forks.
48. Being mad at Wikipedia does not mean you are allowed to lash out at others.
49. ITN isn't western-biased.
    1. As above, saying it is probably means you're biased.
50. IPs aren't stupid and can be more intelligent than logged-in editors.
    1. IPs should be treated the same as regular users, unless they are vandals.

51. 

    Discussion is the key to constructive and productive editing.

    Discussion is the key to constructive and productive editing.
52. The rating of articles you've made is more important than the amount of articles you've made.
53. The most disruptive discussions are the ones with no goal.
54. If you have an issue with something, communicate it on a talk page. Otherwise, the issue will just continue.
55. Administrators should have made at least one article at the time of their RfA.
56. If several editors have expressed concerns about your editing, you're probably the problem.
57. CRYSTAL doesn't apply to userspace drafts and trying to get a userspace draft deleted for that reason is disruptive.
58. An editor who's talk page is filled with deletion notices probably won't respond to a talk page message.
59. Off-wiki harassment warrants an on-wiki block.
60. Hounding an inexperienced user is just a show of your own inexperience.
61. United States government websites shouldn't be trusted.
62. Uncited information should be removed from articles, no matter the content.

63. 

    Sometimes you have to live up to the consequences of your own actions.

    Sometimes you have to live up to the consequences of your own actions.
64. Striking a comment is better than removing it.
65. Boldly making a change never backed by other editors is not "precedent".
66. You can never have too many talk page discussions.
67. Confronting disruptive editing is the most valiant thing a Wikpedian can do.
68. Asking a question at the Teahouse does not mean you are inexperienced, it means you are willing to learn new things.
69. Don't be the person that constantly proposes C-bans at ANI, especially if you're completely uninvolved in the discussion.
70. Babel userboxes are usually inaccurate.