 | This is an essay on user compatibility within Wikipedia. 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: People can come to Wikipedia in good faith and also not be a fit for the project. When this happens they are usually blocked or banned despite their best intentions. |
Wikipedia is an open-source encyclopedia. By default, it can be edited by anyone in the world with or without creating an account. Wikipedia is also a wiki, which means it is a collaborative project where all of the individuals editing it are working towards a common goal. On this wiki, that goal is building an encyclopedia. The overwhelming majority of people who edit Wikipedia as part of its community are here to help build it. Sometimes there are those who aren't, but they are typically dealt with quickly. A more difficult situation arises when someone is here to build the encyclopedia in good faith, but for one or many reasons, they or their personalities aren't compatible with working on a collaborative project.
Dealing with these cases can be time-consuming, but it doesn't need to be. The outcome of not being able to work with others on Wikipedia as well as in real life is the same: the person will be asked to change their behaviour. If they don't change their behaviour either because they are unable or unwilling to do so, they will be told to leave.
In these cases, good faith usually doesn't matter much. If someone is here in good faith, but they simply are not compatible with the project, they may still be blocked or banned.