| abstract
| - Consensus can be reached through the process of editing, or through discussion. After someone chooses to make a change to a page, others may choose to leave it or change it. When editors cannot achieve consensus by editing, they can try to discuss the change and seek a compromise. A consensus decision takes into consideration all the points raised in a discussion. In a consensus discussion, editors try to persuade others using reasons based on policy and common sense. They may also suggest alternatives that may satisfy all concerns. The result might be an agreement that does not satisfy anyone completely, but that everyone recognises as a reasonable solution. However, there are certain mistakes made by editors when trying to achieve consensus:
* Canvassing. Gathering Wikians to participate in a discussion in order to bias it is unacceptable. It is fine to notify editors of a discussion; just remember to keep the notifications neutral, and do not preselect editors based on their personal preferences.
* Sock puppetry. Using another account to try and influence a certain point of view is unacceptable, and is considered disruptive to the consensus building process.
* Incivility. Trying to be rude or aggressive to get users to agree with you particular viewpoint should be avoided. Instead, try to be polite and cooperate with other editors to build better articles.
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