 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia is always bound to change. |
An article. A featured article. A bunch of articles. A category. A template. A project page. A guideline. A policy. An editable source. As you see, they are all a certain way when you take a look at them. But are they really meant to stay that way forever?
Fact is, on Wikipedia, nothing is in stone. Not once. Not ever.
On Wikipedia, so many changes occur every second, that if you take a look at the recent changes log (a special page that is uneditable to most), and then check back a few seconds later, you may not recognize anything on the list from your earlier visit.
"Wiki" is the Hawaiian word for quick. In other words, Wikipedia is called the "quick encyclopedia," a reference to the ability it has to change so quickly.
Content on Wikipedia generally improves over time, but it can decay if proper measures are not taken.