User:Bowser423/Don't Write Your Own Article
 | 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: If you write an article about a subject which you are strongly attached to, you are likely to become too attached to the article. |
A user should not write his/her own article. This is not to say that one should not create new articles, but rather that a user should not write an article about him/herself, an organization which he/she is a essential part of, one's own invention, a word or phrase which they themselves coined, or other subject to which they have strong attachment. There are many reasons for doing this being a bad idea.
Sense of importance
[edit]A sense of an object's importance can result from your personal connection to it, and this can result in disputes about WP:NOTE and WP:ORG.
Sense of greater knowledge
[edit]Being personally close to a subject often gives a person a sense of knowing more about it than anyone, or at least most people. This often will result in you reverting changes made to the article simply because you believe yours is better, often to the point of violating WP:OWN.
Taking changes personally
[edit]Having created an article on a subject you are personally close to may cause you to feel that an innocent contributor has violated WP:PERSONAL by changing it. Very rarely is a change to an article a personal attack on the creator or last editor.
Support of subject of article
[edit]Creating an article which you are personally close to will often result in the viewpoint of an article violating WP:POV. This may not be intentional, but you will often write the article in favor of the subject.
What this Means
[edit]A contributor should not:
-Create articles about things they are personally close to
-Add huge amounts of content to articles about things they are personally close to
What This Does Not Mean
[edit]This does not mean that a contributor should not:
-Create articles
-Edit articles about their interests
-Edit an article which was previously created about a subject they are personally close to, provided they are careful not to violate WP:POV
-Participate in projects which they have an interest in
-Create articles related to their profession or hobby