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Apparently Wikipedia's policy on "canvassing" forbids anyone from soliciting "outside" supporters to join discussions you care about. One of Wikipedia’s favour
by mustpax 17y ago
Apparently Wikipedia's policy on "canvassing" forbids anyone from soliciting "outside" supporters to join discussions you care about.
One of Wikipedia’s favourite guidelines is the one on canvassing. You see, if an article you’re interested comes up for deletion, it’s not permissible to contact outside sources that may know more about the topic, because they are likely biased. Canvassing will often get you a severe warning, or banned. Linus’s law states that “given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.” On the other hand, Wikipedia’s collective belief is that bringing new people with new perspective to something is a heinous offence… After all, it might upset their precious status quo.
Please go read the policy here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Canvassing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Canvassing
The incumbent editors' transparent effort to quell dissent is appalling.
- wmf 17y agoIt's consistent with the (IMO misguided) philosophy that merely caring about a topic constitutes a conflict of interest and thus experts or other interested parties shouldn't participate. It's probably also a pragmatic (over-) reaction to the constant gaming of virtually all Internet polls.
- mustpax 17y agoI would not mind as much if the policy read like it was intended to prevent ballot stuffing. Instead, it reads like an elitist minority realizing that they are outnumbered and setting up barriers to the participation of opposing viewpoints.
- stan_rogers 17y agoIt's far more likely that a group of well-meaning people who initially set out to protect Wikipedia from the influence of various elitist minorities have failed to realise that they have become one themselves. Beware of true believers -- there will always be a crusade in the offing eventually.