On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 11:21 PM, Pete Forsyth <petefors...@gmail.com> wrote: > The community guidelines are extremely complex, yes. I consider that an > argument *in favor* of adopting simpler rules for staff, that exceed > community rules. For a general idea, here are the kind of rules that could > be implemented for staff: > * Staff will not edit Wikipedia, at all > * Staff will not edit Wikipedia unless they have discussed appropriate > boundaries around their editing with their supervisor > * Staff will not edit Wikipedia unless they have discussed appropriate > boundaries with XYZ people in the Community department
Any policies like that would increase disconnect between WMF and community, not decrease it. It would disincentivize hiring from the community (because it's risky), and would disincentivize community members from applying to join the staff (because they'd have to give up a loved hobby). It would reduce the likelihood of managers to encourage people to become editors (because it's dangerous) and instead encourage a more corporate mentality towards the site and its users. In short, I think these are truly counterproductive suggestions, and I'm 100% supportive of Sue's original point. We have to accept that people will come in conflict with normal community guidelines, and we should encourage people to get involved in Wikipedia, because understanding the thing you support is key to supporting it well. The COI stuff is scary because it sets of people's alarm bells around integrity and ethics, but it shouldn't be as scary. A COI edit of an article about yourself is an entirely different ball o' wax than an edit on behalf of a paying client. Like Sue said, everyone was new once, and it takes people a while to learn the ropes. And even those of us who've been around for a while sometimes do things we shouldn't - we're all human. That's why we have community policies. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The rules, IMO, are pretty simple: - Make it clear when you're acting in an official capacity; - Be especially mindful when editing WMF-related topics, since WMF has a conflict-of-interest about itself. - When getting involved, it's understood that you'll make mistakes - that's fine. Be bold. :-) Follow community norms and best practices. Cheers, Erik -- Erik Möller VP of Engineering and Product Development, Wikimedia Foundation _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
