Content Control & Article Ownership

Some contributors feel very possessive about material that they have donated to this project. Some go so far as to defend them against all intruders. It is one thing to take an interest in an article that you maintain on your watchlist or originally drafted. But if this watchfulness crosses a certain line, then you are overdoing it. Believing that an article has an owner of this sort is a common mistake people make on ALL Wikis.

You cannot stop everyone in the world from editing "your" stuff, once you have posted it to About Everything Wiki.

If you don't want your material to be edited mercilessly or redistributed by others, do not submit it.

Working on an article does not entitle you to "own" the article. It is still important to respect the work of your fellow contributors. When making large scale edits, particularly of content contributed by one editor, it is important to consider whether a desirable result could be obtained by working with the editor, instead of against him or her—regardless of whether he or she "owns" the article or not.

'Always consult with a About Everything Wiki staff member before making major edits (i.e. re-formatting page design, inserting templates, etc.) to any of the main About Everything Wiki pages. This is to ensure that the page's content remains streamlined with the rest of the Wiki's content, and maintains the goal that the wiki remains functional and user-friendly for all About Everything Wiki users.'

Do not sign what you do not own
Since no one "owns" any part of any article, if you create or edit an article, you should not sign it. As for credit, the exact contributions of all editors are seen with their names on the "History" pages.

On the other hand, when adding comments, questions, or votes to talk pages, it is good to "own" your text, so the best practice is to sign it by suffixing your entry with your signature. Four tildes (~) will result in your signature appearing like this: "Calverish 18:15, February 7, 2012 (UTC)

Please, no spaces, no brackets, no quotes, no nothing—just the four tildes.

Primary editors
Primary editors, that is to say, one editor who takes ownership of an article, should be approached on the article talk page with a descriptive header that informs readers about the topic. This typically arises in guides that are entitled by User. Always avoid accusations, attacks, and speculations concerning the motivation of editors. If necessary, ignore attacks made in response to a query. If the behavior continues, the issue may require dispute resolution, but it is important to make a good attempt to communicate with the editor on the article talk page beforehand. While all unprotected articles on About Everything Wiki may be edited by any user, special consideration should be taken when editing a guide.