[WikiEN-l] The new verifiability policy

[Ray Saintonge]

slimvirgin at gmail.com wrote:

>On 3/1/06, Ray Saintonge wrote:
>  
>
>>Katefan0 wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Personally, I think it's just about right that the policy state that
>>>information without a source may be removed.
>>>      
>>>
>>Part of the problem is with the permissive word "may", which is too
>>often read as though it were "shall".
>>    
>>
>We have to assume people can read English. Saying that an unsourced
>edit MAY be removed is clearly not the same as saying it MUST be or
>SHOULD be.
>
Of course they're different, but most people don't read with that degree 
of precision even though they have been reading English for most of 
their lives. When in "The Amazing Race" they say, "The last contestant 
to arrive may be eliminated" it sets up an air of uncertainty.  This 
situation is not much different.  Obviously, we can't forsee every 
possibility that can arise, but the affected contributor needs the 
reassurance that the matter will be discussed with him, rather than left 
to the whim of some individual admin who may be on some kind of 
crusade.  That assurance need not be there with "shall".

Ec