 | 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: Involving yourself in this project will occasionally place you in conflict with other editors, so it is important not only to know how to avoid conflict, but how to deal with it and the stress that comes with it appropriately when it does arise. |
Wikipedia is sometimes a stressful experience. This is a project to build an encyclopedia written by the people who use it, and there are innumerable topics out there that this diverse community feels very strongly about in divergent ways. As a result, involving yourself in this project will occasionally place you in conflict with other editors. It is an unavoidable consequence of any project that requires collaboration among a diverse group of individuals, and for this reason, many people who have participated in Wikipedia have said that they found the experience stressful at times.
Perhaps another editor disagrees with something you did, and their language is becoming rude or heated. Or perhaps someone thinks you've made a mistake, and now they are raining on you at an administrative noticeboard, calling for you to be sanctioned. Maybe you think you're being treated unfairly by other editors or even by administrators. Maybe you are an administrator or someone who has made it their responsibility to insert themselves into highly confrontational environments and try to cool things down and resolve disputes. It is important for you, as a Wikipedia contributor, not only to know how to avoid conflict, but to deal with it and the stress that comes with it appropriately when it does arise.