Wikipedia:Don't overwhelm the newbies
Before reading this essay, please read WP:BITE, WP:ARGH!, and WP:NOCLUE. For information about essays, see WP:WES, WP:VALUE, and WP:The difference between policies, guidelines and essays. If you are new to Wikipedia, please read WP:5P, WP:ABOUT, WP:NOT, and WP:FAQ. Also see the general disclaimer.
 | 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: Do not ask newcomers to read all the policies and guidelines. If necessary to link to policies/guidelines, limit yourself to one (1) per comment. |
Joining Wikipedia can be like wading into the water at an oceanfront beach. At first, it seems pleasant, so you go further out, into deeper and deeper waters. Suddenly, a big wave appears, and gets bigger and bigger until it crashes onto you. That wave is WP:List of policies and guidelines. A helpful Wikipedian places the {{Welcomeg}} on your talk page, and you diligently start to read. Five years later, you give up.
Don't overwhelm the newbies!
There are many policies, guidelines, and essays. They're all worth reading, eventually. But there's no need to tell a newbie to read them all, now. If you need to tell a newbie about the need for notability, link to WP:N, or a more specific policy (such as WP:Notability (authors)), but don't link to WP:V, WP:NOT, WP:NPOV, WP:COI, and WP:NOR as well. Whenever possible, link to simpler pages, such as WP:Referencing for beginners. Better yet, just tell the newbie the problem, so he doesn't have to read the entire policy himself.