Wikipedia:How to be civil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

While this essay is not a policy or guideline itself, it is intended to supplement Wikipedia:Civility. Please update the page as needed, or discuss it on the talk page.

1 When and why does incivility happen?
2 Preventing incivility within Wikipedia
3 Reducing the impact
4 Suggest apologizing
5 See also

[edit] When and why does incivility happen?

See also: Wikipedia:Wikiquette

Incivility happens, for example, when you are creating a new page, and another user tells you, "If you're going to write a pointless page, could you spell-check it?" And escalation occurs when you reply, "Get lost!" This style of interaction between Wikipedians drives away contributors, distracts others from more important matters, and weakens the entire community.

Incivility can occur during an edit war, when editors have different opinions, or when there is a conflict based on power.

As the community grows larger, editors may not know all other editors, and may not perceive the importance of each individual to the project.

In a larger community editors may be more able to hide less than positive reputations than is possible in a smaller community.

Sometimes, a particularly impolite user joins the project. This can also aggravate other editors, and impair the collaborative environment. Editors may find themselves becoming upset in such an environment, and may themselves engage in less than civil behaviour.

Editors may use insults in the heat of the moment during a longer conflict. The person who made the insult may regret having used such words afterwards.

In other cases, insults may be deliberate and could be used to either distract other editors from the issue, or to simply drive them away from working on the article or even from the Wikipedia project itself.

It is also reasonable to assume that certain editors may lack civility under pressure of external variables in their personal life, or lack of sleep, which generally lowers one's capacity for judgement, and can lead to speaking your mind in socially unacceptable ways. Take a break from the issue if your judgment may be lowered by any of these factors.

[edit] Preventing incivility within Wikipedia

Prevent edit wars and conflict between individuals (the project sets editing constraints — essentially a community answer)

Force delays between answers to give time to editors to calm down, and to avoid further escalation of a conflict (protecting pages)

Use positive feedback (praising those who do not respond to incivility with incivility)

Apply peer pressure (voicing displeasure each time rudeness or incivility happens)

Solve the root of the conflict between the offender and the other editor(s) or the community — or find a compromise.

Use negative feedback (suggesting that an editor involved in conflict should leave a conflict or even temporarily avoid all controversial areas in Wikipedia). It may be worthwhile making such suggestions to both sides of the conflict.

Have certain users refrain from editing specific pages that often trigger incivility.

[edit] Reducing the impact

Balance criticisms by providing a constructive comment as well.

Do not reply to offensive comments. Forget about them. Forgive the editor. Do not escalate the conflict (an individual approach which allows a user to remain uninvolved).

Alternatively, respond to perceived incivility with greater civility and respect. Many editors will then moderate their tone to match yours.

Please. Thank you. I'm sorry. You're welcome. You're a good person and I know we'll work this out. Treat your fellow editor as a respected and admired colleague, who is working in collaboration with you on an important project.

Walk away. Wikipedia is a very big place. Just go edit somewhere else for a while and return when tempers have cooled.

You do not have to like an editor as a person, to appreciate that they are also working for the good of the project. If you do not like a fellow editor, try not to hold that fact against them.

[edit] Suggest apologizing

Mediation regularly involves disputes in which one party feels injured by the other. The apology is a form of ritual exchange between both parties, where words are said that allow reconciliation.

For some people, it may be crucial to receive an apology from those who have offended them. For this reason, a sincere apology is often the key to the resolution of a conflict: an apology is a symbol of forgiveness. An apology is very much recommended when one person's perceived incivility has offended another.