Good Wiki Citizen practices include:
Fear Not. This Wiki suffers more from lack of editing than from too much. People here are not as uptight as you might think (at least, the people who matter aren't).
Don't refactor live threads. When people are still going at it hot and heavy, let 'em be. When they all get too disgusted with themselves to contribute any more, still let 'em be. Give it a few weeks for the dust to settle. Then try to fix it. (Hint:
if you got there from Recent Changes, the thread is probably live.) See Refactor Faster Delete More for counterarguments and exceptions to this rule.
Fix your own mess first. Don't go round refactoring and chopping willy nilly. Fix Your Wiki before you even try to fix anyone else's stuff.
Fix grammar, spelling, and factual inaccuracies. Spelling and grammar improvements are always welcome. Also fix any factual inaccuracies, as long as your change doesn't affect the meaning of the surrounding text. There is no need to add a comment to point out the original author's inadequacies or your own expertise:
just fix the things that need fixing. Be sure to check the "I'm just doing minor edits" box when saving.
Stop Tidying Wiki. Sure, it's all crap. Yes, you're doing everyone a favour cleaning it up. But sometimes, someone, somewhere, is going to want that crap back again. Save it. If anyone wants it back, put it back. Don't argue about it - that'll only make it worse. Just put it back. The best work is done in small steps. (See also Version Control Applied To Wiki.)
Summarize And Separate. Most threads include opposing viewpoints. Sometimes you can refactor those viewpoints into little paragraphs on different pages and add links to the opposing pages. Where there are repetitions of existing material elsewhere, this allows you to collapse them.
Use Therefore But. Sometimes the duality of a page is intrinsic. Get rid of the Thread Mode by gathering the forces into sections according to Therefore But.
Let It Be. If you can't see a neat way to clean up a mess, let it be. Someone else will figure it out. Don't hack something out just because it's ugly - let someone else have the chance to figure out how to set it to rights.
Prepare The Way. Leave footprints for those to come.
Fixa Link. I know we have a few 'broken' links around on purpose, don't fix those, fix the other ones. You don't need to hunt them out, but if you see one, why not just fix it real quick?
Makea Link. Don't be afraid to Makea Link, someone else may have already completed your thought. ( Or you may have just completed someone else's ).
Advocate Care. I salute those brave souls who Advocate Care in the face of flames.
Let Hot Pages Cool This is a way to Only Say Things That Can Be Heard through your actions.
Fix Your Wiki Make pages better by adding references, keep your own home page tidy.
Discussion:
If you can't be a Wiki Master, be a Good Wiki Citizen, leaving the wiki at least as tidy as you found it.
See: Fear Of Editing Text
See original on c2.com 