David Gerard wrote:
I just can't get my head around the idea of a default assumption other than honesty if you're going to work on an encyclopedia project.
on 3/7/07 6:23 PM, Sheldon Rampton at sheldon@prwatch.org wrote:
I would have thought everyone was on the same page with that too, if I hadn't seen a significant outpouring of support for deception in the Essjay case. It was a case where we clearly had deliberate deception over an extended period of time, but nevertheless people defended it on in grounds that it was okay and even "brilliant" if it was "just on the user page" or if it helped protect anonymity. It appears clear therefore that some people think honesty is *not* a "default assumption." That's what a policy should clarify. Is honesty something we should expect always, or are there circumstances in which it's okay to mislead?
However, we have a very clear transcript in front of us which tells us that some people think deception on Wikipedia user pages is okay, and if we don't address that, this community will have learned nothing from this whole sad episode.
Sheldon,
It is clear the WP culture needs work, care, and nurturing. But I still do not believe this can be accomplished by creating more RULES.
Marc