Edit Note
EditNotes provide an important forum for discussing specific changes to the MusicBrainz database.
Whenever you make an edit you are prompted to enter an edit note, and any editor may enter a note on existing edits in addition to voting on them.
How to do it
All Editors and AutoEditors entering edit notes are expected to follow the CodeOfConduct. HowToWriteEditNotes explains what good edit notes look like.
To enter a note on an existing edit, click on the "Add Note" link. These can be found at the "Show Edit" page, or any ![[WWW]](/-/musicbrainz/img/moin-www.png){kind=small}
Edits List page. Then enter your comment in the text box and click Submit! HTML syntax is not supported, but URLs are automatically displayed as clickable links.
If you want to make a link to another edit, you can enter the full URL, or as a shortcut edit #editid, with editid replaced with the edit number. Example: edit #123456. See EditNoteSyntax for more info.
What it does
The edit note will be displayed with the edit, and sent by e-mail to:
The Editor who made the edit
Anyone who has entered an edit note on the edit (whether they have voted or not) and who has selected the related option in UserPreferences.
Anyone whose most recent vote is either Yes or No - not Abstain - and who has selected the related option in UserPreferences.
This allows most interested parties to be included in the discussion. This is why it's important to provide a valid e-mail address in your profile.
When to do it
It is good practice to enter a note whenever you make a non-trivial edit, to explain the edit to other users. Entering a URL link to supporting information is particularly helpful. It is essential to enter a note if you are making a contentious edit such as adding a NonAlbumTrack, doing a RemoveReleaseEdit etc., otherwise users are likely to vote no.
If you are voting 'no' on an edit, it is important to enter a note explaining why you are voting 'no'. Such a note serves several purposes: it explains to the editor why you believe their change to be incorrect (so that they won't make the same mistake again, and can even delete the edit in question) and warns other voters that they should not vote 'yes' to the edit. It also allows an editor to contact you to explain why they feel their edit is correct, and perhaps convince you to change your vote.
Related
CategoryEditing CategoryCommunicationForum CategoryTerminology