Editing Encyclopedia:Meta

{{about|Meta as it relates to English Wikipedia's processes|[[metadata]] on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Metadata|"meta" activities on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Wikipedia namespace}}
{{distinguish|Metapedia}}
{{Information page|WP:META}}
[[File:Wikimedia-logo-meta.png|thumb|right|220px|Meta-Wiki logo]]
'''Meta''', '''Meta-Wiki''' or '''Wikimedia Meta-Wiki''' ([[m:Special:MyLanguage/Main Page|meta.wikimedia.org]]) is a [[wiki]]-based website that is auxiliary for coordination of all the [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation]] wikis. 

Created as '''Meta-Wikipedia''' in November 2001, it now serves several distinct roles:

# Discussion and formulation of the [[List of Wikimedia projects|Wikimedia projects]], including [[Wikipedia]], and in particular policy discussion.
# A forum for personal [[essay]]s that are not necessarily [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|NPOV]].
# A place to organize and prepare content, and to discuss [[Help:Interlanguage links|interlanguage]] coordination issues.
# A place to coordinate the development process.
# A help guide to using the [[MediaWiki]] software when the help is not in the [[MediaWiki]] website.
# A place for coordination of anti-spam and small wiki anti-vandalism.

Meta currently serves as one of the major avenues of discussion for Wikimedians including [[Wikipedia:Wikipedians|Wikipedians]], the others being the [[Wikipedia:mailing lists|mailing lists]], the [[m:IRC channels|IRC channels]], and the [[Wikipedia:talk page|talk page]]s of individual articles and users. Meta is an independent and autonomous project from the English-language Wikipedia, and thus has its own policies and customs, which often differ from those here.

Originally focused on the [[English Wikipedia]], Meta has, since its upgrade to Wikipedia's custom [[MediaWiki]] software, become a multilingual discussion forum used by all Wikimedia language communities.

==Referring to Meta==
{{shortcut|WP:TOMETA}}
Some types of discussion should be referred to appropriate places on Meta.
* '''Issues referred from other Wikipedias''', such as help requests relating to policy, should be referred to [[m:We need your help]]. English editors are encouraged to follow such referrals to Meta and provide input there, as Meta may receive much less traffic than English Wikipedia.

==See also==
*[[Wikipedia:Ignore Meta]] (an essay)
*[[meta.wikimedia.org]] in the [[Wikipedia:Main namespace|article space]]

==External links==
*[[meta:Main Page|Meta main page]]
*[[m:Meta:About|Meta's "About"]]
*[[m:Meta:MetaProject to overhaul Meta|Meta:MetaProject to overhaul Meta]]
{{Wikimedia Foundation}}
{{Wikipedia accounts}}
[[Category:Wikipedia multilingual coordination|Meta]] 
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