Wikipedia:Divisiveness

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 content on your user page might be seen by some as "divisive" it is recommended that you may choose to expand the content in question.

There is no express prohibition on "divisive" behavior on Wikipedia. Also, "divisive" is not really defined in any substantive sense. However, some feel that divisiveness between members of the Wikipedia community is against Wikipedia's policies and guidelines; and against the reason that Wikipedia exists. People holding this belief say that since Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, dividing Wikipedia contributors up into separated camps hinders rather than helps the process of creating and maintaining an encyclopedia. There is by no means a consensus on this point. Furthermore, given the above qualification, it is valid to ask the following question: what really does or does not constitute divisive behavior?

For example, if people see this:

I like Jimbo.

Jimbo says don't be divisive.

So there.

on your user page and complain of divisiveness, you can better communicate what you had originally intended to communicate by EXPANDING it to this:

"Remember what we are doing here. We are building a free encyclopedia for every single person on the planet. We are trying to do it in an atmosphere of fun, love, and respect for others. We try to be kind to others, thoughtful in our actions, and professional in our approach to our responsibilities." Jimbo Wales 16:49, 26 August 2005 (UTC) [1]