Help:Discussion

Wikipedia help Chat about an article, write to someone, etc.

Beginner level

In a project collaborative and community like Wikipedia, the discussion is essential. It is necessary to communicate with other contributors:to coordinate articles, discuss elements or seek consensus on controversial subjects.

For any given page, its discussion page can be accessed by clicking on the “Discussion” tab at the top left.

Discussion pages are an integral part of Wikipedia and are therefore subject to the same basic principles (publication under free license). With some exceptions, all chat rooms can be edited like any other article.

To remember

Any Wikipedia page - an article, a user page, a project, a help page, etc. - has a discussion page accessible through the "Discussion" tab, located at the top of the page, on the left. The talk page is often called “PoD” in jargon. Every discussion page has a history (like articles) which lets you know who has participated.

Why discuss?

Discussion is necessary to improve the articles, solve a problem in relation to the article, but also solve a technical problem or simply seek help from more experienced contributors.

Sometimes disagreements arise between Wikipedia contributors. The essential rule is therefore to explain yourself and give others the opportunity to do the same on the discussion pages. Generally speaking, it is believed that "there cannot be a perfect article without discussion".

How to chat?

Locate the "Discussion" tab

Generally, all discussions are done in the “Discussion” tab, located at the top of the page, to the left, near the Wikipedia logo. Click on it to access it. Once in the “Discussion” tab, click on add a subject (same line, on the right) in order to start a new discussion. This brings you to the Wikipedia discussion system.

Start a new discussion

The edit area is located below. This is where you will write your text. Some basic recommendations to discuss: First of all, don't forget the ground rules of politeness (hello, goodbye, welcome, sorry, please, thank you, etc.), adapt your tone to the circumstances, give your opinion as accurately as possible, remembering that everyone contributes to improving Wikipedia, and not to degrading it.

To be sure to find the discussion page and be alerted to a response, consider adding it to your watchlist by clicking on the black and red star at the top right of the "View history" tab.

Reply to a discussion in progress and put away your messages

That's it, a user has replied to you and it is time to reply! If the discussions are numerous, locate the one you created via the summary.

New threads are at the bottom of the page, old threads are at the top of the page.

Your message must be placed under the previous one.

To add a new message, click on the Edit source button located in the section title.

Sign your messages

It is important to sign your messages. This signature generates links to your user page and your talk page, followed by the date and time of your message.

A signature consists of four tildes signature ( ~~~~ ) that you can copy/paste.

~~~~

When you click on the "Publish changes" button in the editor, your signature will change from " - ~~~~ " (or " ~~~~ ") To" - your nickname (discuss) April 21, 2015 at 20:18 (CEST) ".

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