User:OrenBochman/Adoption/Wikiquette prt2

Civility
Here are some more pointers on civility and better communication:
 * Explain yourself. Not sufficiently explaining edits can be perceived as uncivil, whether that's the editor's intention or not. Use good edit summaries, and use the talk page if the edit summary doesn't provide enough space or if a more substantive debate is likely to be needed.
 * Someone may very well be an idiot. But telling them so is  neither going to increase their intelligence nor improve your ability to communicate with them.
 * No matter how frustrated you are, do not tell people to "grow up" or include any wording along the lines of "if this were kindergarten" in your messages.
 * Be careful with edit summaries. Edit summaries are relatively short comments, and thus potentially subject to misinterpretation or oversimplification. They cannot be changed after pressing "Save", and are often written in haste, particularly in stressful situations. Remember to explain your edit, especially when things are getting heated; to avoid personal comments about any editors you have disputes with; and to use the talk page to further explain your view of the situation.

Edit summaries
Efficent use of edit summaries is considered one of the hallmarks of a good wikipedian. Aspirants applying for promotion to administration are expected to approach 100% (i.e. 95% or higher) of using edit summaries per edit. An empty edit summary will often be interpreted as a flag of possible vandalism by spam fighting robots. Since you do not want to increase the work of spam fighters - and certainly don't wish them to revert your work - be a good communicator.


 * When you make a copy-edit, leave a note in the Edit summary field detailing your changes.
 * Summary notes for copy edits should be concise but should to mention whether the edit is a correction or an enhancement.
 * Spelling and grammar corrections generally count as minor edits, which you can denote by checking the box labeled "This is a minor edit";
 * Stylistic corrections are generally major and call for written summaries.
 * It is essential to keep edit summaries civil.
 * It is not helpful, nor necessary to comment on the previous editor's language skills. (Most wikipedians are not native english speakers).
 * If you are doing a follow-up copy-edit, it is usually best to stay silent about previous copy edits; instead, you may want to refer to your work as follow-up edits or additional improvements.
 * When working with pages of new editors - e.g. at articles for creation - using long form of edit summaries or better yet comment on the talk page.

Some examples of acceptable edit summaries:
 * Copy edit: Fact-checked names of ships
 * Copy edit: Reworded introductory paragraph for clarity
 * Copy edit: Reworked history section for encyclopedic style

however most editors abbreviate edit summaries:

Edit summaries are the only record many wikipedians will see of your work. Particularly those who are carrying maintenance task using semi-automated tools. Due to their concise nature, edit summaries are often a prefered means of quick communicating between experienced editor.

Edit summary best practices
Remember you can't go back and change your edit summaries.


 * Do:
 * Be clear about what you did, so that other editors can assess it quickly.
 * Use neutral language.
 * Be calm.
 * Don't:
 * Make snide comments.
 * Make personal remarks about editors.
 * Be aggressive.

Discussion
Any questions or would you like to take the test? The test is pretty brief...consisting of only three questions!