User:Butlerblog/Essays

This is an index of essays (WP:ESSAY). Currently, all are stored as user essays, but may in the future be moved into Wikipedia space. Some may be a "work in progress". I'm open to ideas and comments for potential improvements, especially when those are helping to give the most clarity the positions noted; although keep in mind that essays are not policy, and user essays stem from an editor's opinion.

My user essays

 * The Culture of Wikipedia is an essay about Wikipedia culture, and how that can be misconstrued by new users as a closed society of arrogant elitists. Hopefully, the takeaway is that we want new editors and for those new editors to learn and grow, but that guidelines must be followed or we would have chaos.
 * Categorization discusses the Wikipedia approach to categorization of articles. It's not meta-based.
 * When reliable sources are wrong is a lesson in citing sources. Too many experienced editors come to worship the golden calf of secondary sources, believing that to mean that only secondary sources are acceptable in 100% of cases (which is not true according to our own guidelines and policies).
 * Premillennial dispensationalism discusses the proper use of that term, why it is inaccurate, and what should be used instead.

Other worthwhile essays

 * Collaboration first - WP:COLLAB - is an essay that covers the collaborative process. Even experienced editors can benefit from a refresher.  I recommend reading this essay on a regular basis (perhaps a re-read every six months or so).