Editors should generally follow it, though
exceptions may apply. Substantive edits to this page should reflect
consensus. When in doubt, discuss first on the
talk page.
This page in a nutshell: User categories are navigation aides for Wikipedians, to be used for collaborative purposes to build the encyclopedia.
A user category is a type of
category—a grouping of related pages intended as a tool for navigation[1][2]—that contains the
user pages of
Wikipedia users. The technical function of a user category, therefore, is to group the user pages of Wikipedia users who share one or more relevant characteristics. Given this technical function, and considering the principle that
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia and
not a social networking site,[3] the purpose of user categories is to aid in facilitating coordination and collaboration between users for the improvement and development of the encyclopedia.[4][5]
In addition, as with all categories,[2][4] user categories should not be used as "bottom-of-the-page" notices. If a Wikipedian wishes to have such a notice, they may edit their user page and add the notice in some other way (such as by adding text or a userbox) instead of creating a category group.
Names and descriptions of user categories are subject to the same rules and restrictions as
userbox content.
The name of a category should be clear about its scope and purpose and should generally follow the naming convention of fellow members of a parent category. See
Category:Wikipedians by interest for an example.
A user category should have an indication it is a user category. "Indications" include, but are not limited to: "Wikipedians", "WikiProject", or a name of a Wikipedia-specific organization or grouping. For example,
Category:Wikipedian mathematicians, not
Category:Mathematicians.
Babel-specific user categories are an exception to this, and instead should follow that convention by having the same name as the Babel-specific userbox, i.e. Category:User (language code)[(-level)]. A category that complies with this point is
Category:User ar-3, for level-3 speakers of Arabic.
If in the userbox content, the verb (see
Wikipedia:Userboxes#Content) is one of preference (enjoys, likes, loves, etc.), replace it with a more specific verb when selecting the category name. For example, "This user enjoys J. R. R. Tolkien" could be categorised as
Category:Wikipedians who read J. R. R. Tolkien.
User categories
designated as container categories should contain only
subcategories and possibly a limited number of directly related pages. Individual users should not be in parent categories.
User pages and user categories do not belong in mainspace categories such as
Category:Living people or
Category:Biologists, which are reserved for articles of the encyclopedia (in mainspace). This applies also to user subpages that are draft versions of articles.
Quite simply, a user category is appropriate if it has the capacity to facilitate coordination and collaboration between users for the improvement of the encyclopedia. Some examples of types of user categories that are generally appropriate include:
Categories which group users by participation in Wikipedia.
Categories which group users by knowledge or understanding of a topic
This includes any grouping of users by narrow technical expertise (e.g.
Category:Wikipedian instrument-rated pilots) or a more general familiarity with a subject (e.g.
Category:Wikipedian accountants). Any knowledge that is not relevant to encyclopedia-building, such as knowledge of a spouse's reading habits or knowledge that is not
verifiable, cannot form the basis of an appropriate user category.
Categories which group users by interest in a subject
This includes any grouping of users by interest in a subject – that is, interest in editing articles related to a certain topic – so long as the topic is not overly narrow or vague (see below: Categories that are overly narrow in scope, Categories that are vaguely defined). Note that merely liking/disliking or supporting/opposing something does not necessarily imply an interest in editing articles related to it. Any interest that is not relevant to encyclopedia-building, such as an interest in eating
éclairs, cannot form the basis of an appropriate user category.
Since the purpose of user categories is to facilitate improvement of the encyclopedia, categorisation on the basis of any characteristic (including particular abilities, interests, knowledge, or skills) that has no or limited relevance to the encyclopedia is inappropriate. Some examples include:
This includes any grouping of users on the basis of a characteristic that limits opportunities for encyclopedic collaboration to just one or very few articles, such as categories for interest in or fondness for a single individual (e.g.
Wikipedians interested in Paul McCartney) or film.[8] This also includes the creation of "personal" categories, in which an editor might wish to group articles, userspace pages, or any other pages categorised by personal preference, such as by user(s) edits or uploads, or even by personal interest.
Categories which group users by dislikes of any type
This includes any grouping of users based on a shared dislike for a person, group, organisation, event, idea, philosophy, or activity (e.g.
Wikipedians who dislike High School Musical).
Categories which group users on the basis of irrelevant likes
Categories which group users by advocacy of a position[10]
This includes any grouping of users by support for or opposition to a person, object, issue, or idea if they are unrelated to Wikipedia. There is no consensus on whether categories grouping Wikipedians by non-disruptive statements of opinion on internal Wikipedia matters are allowed.[11]
Categories that are divisive, provocative, or otherwise disruptive
This includes any grouping of users on the basis of a characteristic that, unintentionally or by design, triggers a negative emotional reaction in others, is detrimental to an environment of constructive collaboration, or brings Wikipedia into disrepute. This includes categories for enmity toward a particular group of people, dislike for or hatred of a particular individual (e.g.
Wikipedians who dislike George W. Bush), or support for or opposition to a controversial person, group, project, idea, policy, or activity. This also includes categories created in protest or
to make a point (e.g.
Wikipedians whose religion has been deleted by Wikipedia).
{{userbox
| id = [[File:Video-x-generic.svg|43x43px|WikiProject Film]]
| id-c = #FFFFFF
| info = This user {{#ifeq:{{lc:{{{1|}}}}}|coordinator|is a [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Coordinators|'''coordinator''']]|is a [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Film/Participants|member]]}} of<br>'''[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Film|WikiProject Film]]'''.
| info-c = #C0C0C0
| info-a = center
| usercategory = WikiProject Film participants
| nocat = {{{nocat|}}}
}}<noinclude>{{documentation}}
<!-- Add cats and interwikis to the /doc subpage, not here! -->
</noinclude>
<includeonly> and <noinclude> should be on the same line as the closing parentheses (}}) to prevent extra spacing from appearing when grouping userboxes on userpages.
Enclosing a category in <includeonly> tags will only categorise pages on which the userbox is transcluded. To show the userbox in that category, use {{
User category}} or {{Your userbox name|nocat=}}. Remember to set the
sort key as {{PAGENAME}}.
Enclosing a category in <noinclude> tags will only categorise the userbox.
^"Categories are intended to group together pages on similar subjects." –
Help:Category
^
ab"The central goal of the category system is to provide navigational links to Wikipedia pages in a hierarchy of categories which readers, knowing essential—defining—characteristics of a topic, can browse and quickly find sets of pages on topics that are defined by those characteristics." –
Wikipedia:Categorization
^"Wikipedia is not a soapbox, a battleground, or a vehicle for propaganda and advertising. This applies to articles, categories, templates, talk page discussions, and user pages." -
Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not#Wikipedia is not a soapbox