On 10/12/2007, Jimmy Wales jwales@wikia.com wrote:
The cyberstalking list was not a secret list, but a private list.
Semi private perhaps. Doesn't appear to have been encrypted.
Private lists, whether informal and ad hoc, or formalized, are generally a good thing.
Experience suggests otherwise. So far they have been proven to have utility under a very limited set of conditions and actively damage the project in other cases.
They allow admins to discuss things openly without fear of the press or random trolls getting involved. They can allow for thoughtfully coordinated action to deal with a problem. They allow for the possibility of peer oversight.
If you can select the peers oversight is meaningless.
It would be a shame if the response to this, culturally, would be a feeling that "you should not consult privately with your peers if you are not sure, out of fear of being labelled an evil secret cabal".
If you post to WP:AN/I asking for someone to review something you are unlikely to be accused of cabalism.
Consulting privately with your friends is a *good thing*.
Try editing an article where all the other editors are in semi private communication. Makes collaboration tricky doesn't it?