Wikivoyage:Keep Wikivoyage fun

This page in a nutshell: Writing about travel should be almost as fun as visiting the destinations themselves, so behavior that makes it less fun for others to contribute to Wikivoyage should be avoided. If someone else is making it less fun for you to contribute here, assume good faith, but if problems persist discuss the issue with that user and solicit feedback from others in extreme cases.

Wikivoyage aspires to be 'the free worldwide travel guide that anyone can edit' - put simply, travellers helping travellers. We endeavour to write entertaining and enlightening articles about destinations around the world.

But the act of writing and being part of the Wikivoyage community should be almost as enjoyable as visiting the destinations themselves. Whether you love travelling, want to share your knowledge of the world, or just enjoy writing, your contributions and big ideas are warmly welcomed here.

We are a community of volunteers: everyone who contributes here does it as a hobby. For that reason, we need to ensure that it is as enjoyable an experience as possible. That means that we must all co-operate to a degree: like any community, our cohesion depends firmly upon how we treat each other. Be unafraid to try new things and consider the opinions of others, but please also feel free to make exciting, experimental edits of your own and to state your own, honest opinion.

There will always be disagreements on a project like this but, when conducted properly, discussions on an idea can pull the community together and avoid the schisms that might be expected. In order for this to work, both proposer and opponents need to temper their thoughts: if you have a grand idea, it is often best not to pursue it with a messianic zeal, but to propose it gently and softly; denigrating and deriding the current system is rarely a good start. Constructive criticism is to be encouraged, but kindness should not be forgotten in the process - we are a community. Should the community consensus go against your view - don't be a sore loser. Implementing your suggestions by stealth will not win you any popularity. Instead, find another improvement that needs to be made to the site (for there are many) and leave the other issue, at least temporarily. A single issue that won't go away tends to divide and aggravate the community; it is far better to raise your point again separately at a later date.

The paragraphs above are not an edict or a weapon of condescension, but an expression of what the Wikivoyage community can be: a fun, even lively community in which we work together to help each other and the travellers who use the site's guides.

Inevitably, within a large group of people there will be disagreements, but the key to building a successful site is to disagree without being disagreeable. If you have strong opinions don't hesitate to express them, but do so in a way that doesn't make contributing less fun for others. In particular, keep the following in mind:

• Assume good faith. Everyone here is a volunteer, and everyone here is doing their best to create a great travel resource; suggesting otherwise will just create frustration and ill will.
• Don't attack. If you disagree with someone then state what about their argument you disagree with, but don't attack the person making the argument or make accusations against unspecified "others". Keep discussions focused on the issue, don't make it personal.
• Accept feedback. Plunge forward and contribute, but be aware that some aspects of the site have been standardized based on years of discussion, and don't get angry if someone suggests a change to conform to a site norm. Use your own writing style, and write about topics that interest you, but realize that aspects of the site like section headings were created after discussions involving hundreds of individuals, so if someone suggests that your change of "Eat" to "Restaurants" be reverted, it is not a criticism of you and merely an attempt to follow existing guidelines.
• Provide constructive comments. In discussions, instead of just saying no, or worse, attacking someone's idea, instead state what it is you disagree (or agree) with, and suggest ways to find common ground; doing so helps avoid frustration for all parties.
• Don't try to force an issue. A cardinal sin on a wiki is to try to impose your views over the objections of others. Consensus guides decision-making on this site, and while it can be a slow, difficult process to find agreement among people with differing views, it is paramount to the success of the site that everyone's opinion is considered and respected.
• Be willing to let it go. In some cases consensus may be against you, or opinions may be split so evenly that there isn't any clear resolution to an issue. In these cases, be prepared to let go rather than continuing to try to find a way to "win" the argument. The issue can always be revisited in the future, but sometimes it's best to just move on to the next discussion.

If you have been accused of being a buzzkill, especially if you have been told this by several people, it is likely that the accusations hold at least some measure of truth. If you don't understand what about your behavior is upsetting then ask what you can do to prevent future problems. Note that some people simply don't care that their behavior is causing frustration for others - if you fall into that category then you may want to reconsider whether contributing to a site developed by a diverse community of volunteers is an appropriate activity for you.

• Wikivoyage:Here to build a travel guide
• Assume Good Faith (MeatBall wiki)
• Civility (Wikipedia)
• Don't be a jerk (Meta)
• Don't feed the divas (Wikipedia)
• Disruptive editing (Wikipedia)
• Just drop it (Wikipedia)