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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. |
Wikipedia is an open wiki. That means pages can be edited semi-anonymously and we only know who people are if they declare it themselves. There are two ways people can declare themselves, actively and passively. Actively, you make personal information about yourself known, such as names, addresses or academic qualifications. Passively, your editing style and topics of interest show as markers to who you are.
Knowledge of these markers allows any user to start afresh. To do this, users need to move away from past disputes and work in new topic areas. Don't revisit old friends, enemies, high points or low. Don't speak of past experiences, discuss failings you've seen or anything of the sort. Focus on writing and not getting into disputes. Be a new person. Do not give anyone any reason to notice you. If you do get noticed, it won't be long until someone works out who you are.
Returning quietly comes with significant risk: if you do get noticed, there will be repercussions. You will be totally at fault, for being noticeable. The actions taken during the "quiet return" will be taken into account when appealing any consequences.
