Hello!
I hope everybody is fine!
Thank you Stuart Geiger for sharing your thoughts. I very much sympathies
with your ethical concern.
In my view something which characterize Wikipedia is the plurality of
motivations in the people participating in the community. There is people
participating from different types of affiliations. Some do it as
individuals and for fun, others becouse their work requires to edit
Wikipedia, others as part of a learning plan in a students program or for
self-learning experiences... and others do it becouse developing a research
from an Academic Institution. To participate in Wikipedia you don't need to
say who you are or why you do it. In this regards, in general terms in my
view you are not violating any community protocol if you do not present your
self as a researcher each time. I think it is an issue of "common-sense" in
which occasions to make present that you are a researchers (by the way I
like very much your idea of including it at your signature) and in which
ones there is not the need to force the situation to make it present.
Apart, I am trying to elaborate a question which is related with the ethical
concern, but more broad: How to develop a research which could contribute to
Wikipedia critical self-awareness and enrich evolving? And I am considering
two aspects on this. On the one hand, finding ways for spreading the results
of the research in ways that could arrive to the community and benefit it.
On the other hand, how to design the research in terms of questions
addressed and methodologies used that the research process would contribute
to Wikipedia goals in it self.
I would appreciate very much any advise or reflection on these questions.
Of course, both questions (the ethical concern and the applicability of the
research) are not exclude one to the other.
Thanks in advance. In solidarity! Mayo
Mayo Fuster Morell
Research:
http://www.onlinecreation.info
School of information - UC Berkeley (Visiting researcher until Dec 2008)
California mobile phone: 01-510-2064743
E-mail: mayo(a)ischool.berkeley.edu
Skype: mayoneti
European University Institute - Phd Candidate
Mobile (Italian): 0039-3345440747
Mobile (Catalan): 0034-659605957
E-mail: mayo.fuster(a)eui.eu
2008/11/14 Matthew Flaschen <matthew.flaschen(a)gatech.edu>
Stuart Geiger wrote:
6.If my research leads me to communicate with
Wikipedians off-wiki –
whether via e-mail, chat, in person, or other medium outside of the
public wikispace – I will use established interview-based research
protocols to establish informed consent. This means that those who
communicate with me off-wiki will be initially informed of my research
project and asked to digitally consent to such communication being
used for research purposes. I will work to mutually establish the
privacy of data collected in each situation: if the conversation can
be quoted, paraphrased, or alluded to; if the author can be attributed
by name or username; or if the entire conversation is off-the-record.
One thing I would add here that's important. You may already know this,
but you didn't specifically mention it. If you learn something about a
subject/Wikipedia editor *off-wiki*, don't disclose it on-wiki unless
unless the subject explicitly gives you permission. People are very
sensitive about this.
It seems like your protocols are generally well-thought and reasonable.
I wish you the best with your research.
Matthew Flaschen
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