User:Paleorthid/Guidance notes
Welcome to Wikipedia. If you are visiting this page, it might be because I put a link on your talk page. Thank you for visiting! Feel free to leave comments, ask questions. -- Paleorthid (talk) 02:10, 17 January 2019 (UTC)
Community Portal[edit]
Among the first places to check out when joining Wikipedia is the Community Portal (shortcut P:WP). It is the Portal.
Policies and Guidelines[edit]
From the Community Portal, the Rules link takes you to WP's List of Policies and Guidelines (shortcut WP:POLICYLIST). Whenever I prepare content, or get into an informed discussion with others on Wikipedia I always drag myself through this stuff.
It is very convenient knowing I can always find the Rules link above the banner that looks like this:
Banner that says Welcome to the Community portal!
Policy notes that apply specifically to adding content[edit]
Every edit is intended to improve Wikipedia content. What constitutes an improvement is determined by 3 core content policies that are really important, and 4 other content policies that make clear how core policies apply in specific situations. Do not proceed with creating content until you at least know where to find this policy information. That doesn't mean you will need to commit all the rules to memory before editing. Wikipedia is resilient. Be bold! It's policy around here. WP:BEBOLD
What Wikipedia is not[edit]
Sometimes it is easier to understand all the things something is not rather than what it is. Wikipedia is certainly a case in point. The What Wikipedia is not policy (WP:NOT) should be among the first content policies a new editor should familiarize themselves with. Everything on that page is there because somebody managed to come up with some new bad idea that had not been anticipated by the core policies. WP:NOT is a long list of well considered clarifications.
Take for example: ...Academic language. Texts should be written for everyday readers, not just for academics. Article titles should reflect common usage, not academic terminology, whenever possible. That is really useful guidance for WP:SOIL!