Wikipedia:Just write a damn encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an essay; it contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. It is not a policy or guideline, and editors are not obliged to follow it.

Feel free to post support essays or rebuttals under a separate subheading.

All too often, I see the attempts and successes of article-writing being trampled by the miles of red tape that our administrators and elitist users set up for others. If they say Wikipedia isn't an experiment in democracy, why do they seem more interested in writing bylaws than articles? Why do they constantly delete first, ask questions later? Why do we, the common editor, let these elitists throw their supposed "power" around? Why don't we all just get together, take back Wikipedia, and just write a damn encyclopedia, already?

I'm Kookykman. An editor who resigned to editing as an IP to avoid the red tape. Now I'm back, and I'm done running away. It's time to take a stand.

[edit] See also

• Beware of instruction creep
• Practical process - procedures are good, to a point.
• WP:IAR -- Fundamental basis of this essay.
• WP:ENC -- the "red tape" will only get in your way if you disregard this. An encyclopedia is inherently "elitist": Wikipedia welcomes mediocrity, with the understanding that it is provisional, but will discard it anytime in favour of quality.