 | This is an essay on talk page conduct. 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: Don't add an "arbitrary break" before your own comments, or anywhere else that isn't actually arbitrary. |
Sometimes a long discussion benefits from sectioning. Perhaps there's a shift from a threaded discussion to !votes, or a pronounced change in subject or focus. Sometimes editors will add a break randomly, typically labeled "arbitrary break." An explanation and rationale for such breaks is provided at Wikipedia:Arbitrary section break.
Often, however, arbitrary breaks are not so arbitrary.