On 02/10/06, David Gerard dgerard@gmail.com wrote:
Yes. What is the point of such a rule in a TOS? It won't stop deliberate violation. So how is it planned to enforce it? "Wikipedia: The encyclopedia anyone can edit if they click OK to a multi-page contract of adhesion of the sort no-one ever reads anyway."
To expand on this:
What it appears Danny would like is a rule that people would have to agree to such that they would behave. But you can't legislate against misunderstanding or malice. What effective penalty can we apply? We can't even stop people editing if they really want to.
Adding a new rule, or a TOS or whatever, won't change malicious behaviour a dot, and will hamper the good editors. No rules can ensure quality, no rules can ensure neutrality, no rules can prevent cluelessness and no rules can prevent malice.
The solution to bad behaviour is as unlikely to be "let's add LOTS of new rules" as it is to be "let's add a new rule" when the problem is editors who don't care about existing rules.
- d.