Forum:Unwritten Rules

Ok, as we are probably all aware, there are a lot of standards here on this wiki that more or less only exist in the head(s) of one or more admins. I'm talking about things like markup standards, when to use a disambig, redirecting header, plural page name, etc. This leads to a lot of confusion, frustration, edits that admins have to step in and redo, extensive conversations about whether or not we're supposed to do something a certain way, etc.

I think it's time we actually documented these rules. It would make things run a lot smoother. For one thing, all of us as well as future editors could get more things right in the first place, as well as correct existing problems, so whichever admins who happen to be aware of a particular standard don't have to do it all themselves (particularly important if said admin(s) leave or become less active). Another thing is it makes it possible to discuss the standards, understand why they are there, and change them in the future. Also, having people enforcing rules that only exist in their own heads is just not a great idea for various reasons.

I realize that there are a lot of unwritten rules like this, and that it could take a lot of time and effort to get them established and recorded publicly, but we can do it gradually. Each bit we add is better than not having it. I think we can save ourselves a lot of time in the long run if we put in some effort now.--Fierce Deku 22:19, March 7, 2011 (UTC)