Club Penguin Wiki:Etiquette

Here at the Club Penguin Wiki, we want to ensure that this we retain a safe, helpful, wiki, with a community that respects one another.

Principles of Etiquette

 * Assume good faith. The Club Penguin Wiki has worked remarkably well so far based on a policy of nearly complete freedom to edit. People come here to collaborate and write good articles.
 * Remember The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would have them treat you—even if they are new. We were all new once.
 * Be polite.
 * Keep in mind that raw text may be ambiguous and often seems ruder than the same words coming from a person standing in front of you. Irony is not always obvious when written. Remember that text comes without facial expressions, vocal inflection, or body language.
 * Be careful choosing the words you write: what you mean might not be what others understand. Likewise, be careful how you interpret what you read: what you understand might not be what others mean.
 * Unless you have an excellent reason not to do so, sign and date your posts to talk pages (not in articles though).
 * Work towards agreement.
 * Argue facts, not personalities.
 * Do not make misrepresentations.
 * Do not ignore reasonable questions.
 * If someone disagrees with your edit, provide good reasons why you think that it is appropriate.
 * Concede a point when you have no response to it, or admit when you disagree based on intuition or taste.
 * Be civil.
 * Although it is understandably difficult in an intense argument, if other editors are not as civil as you would like them to be, be more civil, not less. That way at least you are not moving towards open conflict and name-calling; by your own action you are actively doing something about it.
 * Do not hesitate to politely let the others know if you are not comfortable with their tone (e.g., "I feel that you have been sarcastic above, and I don't feel good about it. Let's try to resolve the issue").
 * Be prepared to apologize. In animated discussions, we often say things we later wish we had not.
 * Forgive and forget.
 * Recognize your own biases, and keep them in check.
 * Give praise when it's due. Everybody likes to feel appreciated, especially in an environment that often requires compromise. Drop a friendly note on users' talk pages.
 * Be courteous (polite and respectful).
 * Remove or summarize resolved disputes that you initiated.
 * Help mediate disagreements between others.
 * If you are arguing, take a break. If you are mediating, recommend a break.
 * Take it slowly. If you are angry, spend time away from Wikipedia instead of posting or editing. Come back in a day or a week. You may find that someone else made the desired change or comment for you. If you think mediation is needed, enlist someone.
 * Review common mistakes.
 * Avoid reverts whenever possible, and stay within the three-revert rule except where exemptions apply. Explain reversions in the edit summary box.
 * When reverting other people's edits, give a rationale for the revert (on the article's talk page, if necessary), and be prepared to enter into an extended discussion over the edits in question. Calmly explaining your thinking to others can often result in their agreeing with you; being dogmatic or uncommunicative evokes the same behavior in others, and gets you embroiled in an edit war.
 * Remind yourself that these are people with whom you are dealing with on this wiki. They have feelings.
 * Try to treat others with dignity. The world is a big place, with different cultures and conventions. Do not use jargon that others might not understand. Use acronyms carefully and clarify if there is the possibility of any doubt.

Other words of advice

 * Honor the people who do their work well. This kind of positive attitude makes people want to do the same to you.
 * Praise good work that is detailed, factual, well-informed, and well-referenced.
 * Be warmly welcoming, but not ignorant.
 * Treat your fellow wikians with respect and good-will.
 * Don't feed the trolls. Instead, show the door to trolls, vandals, and all others that try to create a poisonous atmosphere here. It is best to ignore trolls that try to achieve a reaction from you.

Sources and References

 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Etiquette