Angela wrote
Because the policy didn't exist then. [[WP:COI]] was a guideline about not making vanity pages until October 10th.
It is still just a guideline. I think that implies that it is the behavioural issues arising that matter most, for policy; and that these are dealt with under regular policy that is nothing new.
That being said, it is apparent to me that we need at the very least a clear, tough guideline on 'conflict of interest'. As much as anything else, in its absence people are going to come here and impale themselves on policy, just because they are completely ignorant of what editing entails. There needs to be a place where the issues are spelled out.
Charles
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charles.r.matthews@ntlworld.com wrote:
Angela wrote
Because the policy didn't exist then. [[WP:COI]] was a guideline about not making vanity pages until October 10th.
It is still just a guideline. I think that implies that it is the behavioural issues arising that matter most, for policy; and that these are dealt with under regular policy that is nothing new.
That being said, it is apparent to me that we need at the very least a clear, tough guideline on 'conflict of interest'. As much as anything else, in its absence people are going to come here and impale themselves on policy, just because they are completely ignorant of what editing entails. There needs to be a place where the issues are spelled out.
Why is it so necessary to have everything spelled out in such detail? You are making "conflict of interest" an issue that is out of all proportion to its importance. It's good to know if a person has a connection with the subject of the article because it allows us to consider what credibility should be given to his edits. This policy seems to be designed to discourage such disclosure to avoid any potential conflict.
Your term "tough guidelines" is an oxymoron. A "rule" can be tough, but a guideline is highly flexible.
Those who impale themselves on policy are the ones who spend their time writing detailed policy which most editors are wise to ignore. The ones who do "real" editing prefer to work on their favorite subjects without much regards to the wind-breaking that goes on on the policy pages.
Ec