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Meta:About

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-'''Meta''' is the name of this wiki, see [[Main Page]] and [[Meta:About]].
+#redirect [[Meta:About]]
-A meta page is also a page in the project-prefix namespace of a project, e.g. [[en:Wikipedia:Village pump]] and [[Meta:Contact us]].
-Confusingly, since this project is generally known as ''meta'', its meta prefix is <tt>Meta:</tt>. On other projects, links beginning <tt>meta:</tt> are [[interwiki]] links pointing here. This means that to access the page [[Meta:Meta]], a user of the [[en:|English Wikipedia]] would need to type <nowiki>[[meta:meta:meta]]</nowiki>. Perhaps we need some new terminology...
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-So, what is '''meta''' anyway?
-'''Meta''' -- it's about change. A ''meta''morphosis of the word "meta" is "meat" -- Wikipedia articles should always get to the '''meat''' of the matter. More are "mate" and "team" -- remember, all Wikipedians are like '''mates''' on the same '''team''', with the same goal (which is why [[vandal]]s and [[troll]]s are not welcome -- they score own goals regularly and deliberately bash their own mates 'eads in during the barfight). Another is "atem" -- we gotta get up and <b>at 'em</b> and git them articles written 'n' polished up! And there's <b>tame</b>... which... is pretty irrelevant!
-'''Meta''' is about changing the axes of discourse; metadiscussion is [[discussion]] about discussion, and if [[Wikipedia]] is discussion, then this is [[Main Page|Metawikipedia]].
-There is always some danger of infinite regress in any meta process - talk about talk about talk about... you get the idea.  We try to head this off by taking [[Main Page style|style]] seriously enough that all greater metas are headed off by sheer awe at the elegance of our crystal-like solutions to complex issues.  If you are inclined to think of meta instead as a ball of worms, the [[nine leverage points]] may be more to your liking.  Grab a worm, and, well, pull!  Can't get meatier than that.
-Another way to avoid infinite regress is to pay attention to feedback via [[self-references]].  The English Wikipedia has the best developed list of these, they are sort of an at 'em by which one can struct molecules of brilliant prosings.
-A third way is brute force, e.g. the [[IP Death Squad]], which is a sort of team.  We use this often.  On you.
-See also [[Meta namespace]]