Help:Introduction to policies and guidelines/3
| Policies and guidelines | Content | Conduct | Summary |
On Wikipedia you can contribute without needing to know what the rules are. In fact, ignore all rules is a foundational policy for Wikipedia. If there is a better way to do something than what the rules say, do it the better way and ignore the rule. This fits right in with the guideline to be bold, which states that if you see something that can be improved, improve it, and do not be overly concerned with breaking anything. Odds are everything will turn out alright. Granted if this does not seem to make any sense to others, then the it may be changed back.
Editors typically reach consensus (policy) as a natural and inherent product of editing; generally someone makes a change or addition to a page, then everyone who reads it has an opportunity to leave the page as it is or change it. Being reverted may feel a bit deflating, but do not take offense as it is a common practice. If you have a disagreement, take it to the talk page (guideline). Politely discuss the change until a consensus can be reached.
Being polite entails remaining civil (policy) and assuming good faith (guideline) when interacting with others. Being civil means participating in a respectful and considerate way without ignoring the positions and conclusions of others. Assuming good faith means that unless there is clear evidence to the contrary, assume that people who work on the project are trying to help it, not hurt it. If criticism is needed, discuss editors' actions, but avoid accusing others of harmful motives without clear evidence.