[Campaigns-l] Welcome; getting down to work :)

[Jimmy Wales]

Genghis Conn wrote:
> In this case I think the best thing we can do is not to have a single
> written piece on an issue, but instead allow the creation of dozens,
> each with a different take. Since this is a wiki, unless we do something
> like password protect every single hot button issue, we're going to have
> dozens of partisans changing what's written, anyway.
> 
> If we let many people create their own take on an issue, then at least
> people get to choose and no one can accuse the wiki of bias. Hopefully,
> writers can be encouraged to put their opinions in their own section,
> rather than in someone else's.

This will be my last post for today, and I again urge all of us (even
wordy people like me!) to be careful to restrict our volume on this list.

Please, everyone who reads these words, go RIGHT NOW :-) and sign in on
the wiki and make a quick edit at least to your own userpage saying who
you are and what you are interested in. :)

Now, to substance.  I think that wikis work a lot better than people
realize.  It is generally not the case that "we're going to have dozens
of partisans changing what's written anyway".  Socially speaking, wikis
are very different from blogs, and people of good will from diverse
viewpoints, as it turns out, *are* able to collaborate in good will on
documents without engaging in the mindless process of switching them
back and forth between competing viewpoints.

(Such behavior can get people banned from a community.)

And while I think it can be fine to have pages where people do put their
own opinions, this is not central to the incentive structure of wiki,
and not generally a very productive thing to do.  I hope that we can
transcend some of the bad practices of the net and realize that with a
wiki in our hands, we can do more than just be a strangely-programmed
web forum.

There are tons of places on the net for people to engage in flame wars
and posting of individual opinion pieces without community input.  Let's
discourage that sort of behavior and keep everyone always focussed on
positive mutual contribution and building for the future.

--Jimbo
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