how To Vote

Voting is a very important part of the MusicBrainz community. By taking part in the voting process you are ensuring appropriate information is taken into the database, inaccurate information is removed and that valid information does not get removed.

Voting can be an incredibly intimidating process at first. However if you take it in small bits, you will often find you can vote on many things and help improve the database.

You do not need to be an expert on an artist to vote on edits for that artist. There are others who can help offset a vote that is misplaced, and you can learn so much from watching more experienced voters. If you are presented with a good reason as to why a vote should be changed you can, as well, change your vote.

Voting is not the negative process some people see it as.

Ask yourself if your vote "is moving toward the betterment of the database" Vote. Yes - meaning, this is better than the data previously held. Vote No - meaning, this is going away from StyleGuidelines.

You can leave notes and encourage changes toward better StyleGuideline improvements beyond those the editor made. In this way, you help ensure the database remains viable and accurate as well as helping newer editors learn the StyleGuidelines, and how to improve their edits.

A vote should never be influenced by the moderator that is submitting the edit, unless that moderator has proven ExtensiveArtistKnowledge of the Artist in question. This is something you can easily verify by looking at the Mod History of the artist.

Beginning to vote

You will occasionally have edits come up when you start to browse an artist. These edits, are either from your subscribed artists, or the artist you are looking at. They could also be artists that in some way are associated with the artist you are looking at.

Review what you are being asked to vote on. If you feel confident that this change is to the betterment of the database, vote yes. If you feel this is worsening the database, vote no. When voting no, it is always polite and helpful to leave a note about your vote. You should include information as to the reasons for your vote. If you feel you know nothing about a particular edit, and don't wish to research it, then you should abstain.

You can also select the moderate button and see all of the open edits in the system. This is usually a rather high number. If you then click " advance search, it allows you to choose the type of votes you want to see, and in what order.

Perhaps you feel confident in checking websites that are added, or changes in titles, whatever you find yourself confident with, you can select those and get a list of just those edits you feel able to deal with!

Suggested Voting

One of the larger areas for which we need votes is in removal of items. Be it bad DiscIDs, Removal of NonAlbumTracks that have been included in factory releases, Release removal, Broken ArbitraryURLFeature, anything which needs pruning from the database requires a vote for every moderator.

HowToMergeReleases is a relatively easy vote. You have to ensure track titles are the same on both albums, track times aren't too far off and you're good to go! Just be careful of merging in the right direction if there are differences: if one of the albums is in "better shape" than the other, merge the worst album into the best.

AddRelationshipEdit This is verifying the URL being directed to is accurately described. Amazon ASIN has the correct number of tracks, and in the correct order. Official homepage, that it's going to a home page for the artist, and if it says official all the better. Fan page, is it a good fan page, does it have good content and information, et el.

Related How To's

HowToEdit, HowToContribute

Further Information

• HowVotingWorks