User talk:Maxwellsh

Welcome!

Hello, Maxwellsh, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

• The five pillars of Wikipedia
• Tutorial
• How to edit a page and How to develop articles
• How to create your first article (using the Article Wizard if you wish)
• Manual of Style

I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, visit the Teahouse Q&A forum, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{help me}} before the question. Again, welcome! Boson (talk) 23:03, 3 April 2012 (UTC)

Democratic deficit in the European Union

I saw your query at Talk:Democratic deficit in the European Union. I have included a welcome message above that links to various core policies of Wikipedia, the Five Pillars. The main point is that Wikipedia is an encyclopaedia. If you are used to forums, blogs, etc., this may take some getting used to. The article Democratic deficit in the European Union is meant to explain what it is. It may include an explanation of different points of view on the subject, but the aim should never be to argue a point of view or convert others to a particular opinion. I would especially recommend reading WP:NPOV. On political subjects, the maintenance of a neutral point of view is particulary important and often difficult. It is also important to provide references (citations) for any statements that might be contentious. So if you have strong views about this subject, you may want to get a bit more experience before editing on potentially contentious issues. I would recommend first making a few edits on subjects about which you are knowledgeable but have less strong views. It may also help if you familiarize yourself with the citation templates like {{Cite news}} and {{Cite web}}, since additions to contentious articles usually require ample citations. --Boson (talk) 23:41, 3 April 2012 (UTC)