Wikipedia:We can do better
 | This is an essay on the usefulness of looking to other encyclopedias to resolve issues on Wikipedia. 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. |
A common trait among editors when approaching difficult questions is to look to see what other encyclopedias have done. This is not a bad idea. We are not the first encyclopedia and we won't be the last. Others have encountered the same issues that we have to deal with - be they deciding how to organize topics, how to name articles, how to approach subjects or any one of the thousands of decision Wikipedia editors face every day in writing this encyclopedia. Looking at how others handled a problem is a good thing, but that doesn't mean that we have to follow their lead. Remember always when looking at other encyclopedia: We can do better.