On Fri, Jan 27, 2017 at 9:17 AM, Lodewijk lodewijk@effeietsanders.org wrote:
What I am curious about, is whether there are also efforts ongoing that are focused on influencing community behavior in a more preventive manner.
On 01/27/2017 09:54 AM, Danny Horn wrote:
Your idea for using aggression/harassment scores in admin applications is really interesting; I hadn't thought of that before. Nothing's actually planned right now, just research and conversations, but it's neat to see people already coming up with interesting suggestions. :)
I'm delighted to see this issue getting some attention. I believe the core of the problem comes from the WMF's identity, from the start, as a technology company; so shifting in this direction might be an uphill battle, but I feel strongly that it's the right way to go. I'd like to highlight my first answer in my brief candidacy for the WMF board in 2015 [1]:
The distinction between "the community" and "newcomers" is a false and dangerously misleading one. It does not accurately reflect reality. I have had numerous students, clients, and friends who believe "the community" or "Wikipedia" was unwelcoming; but on closer inspection, the one comment that formed that opinion in fact came from somebody who was newer than "the newbie." If civility and collegiality on our sites is an issue -- and it is -- the artificial idea that "the community" is mean, and in need of reform, will not move us toward a solution.
Yes, this is a matter the Board should take very seriously. The Board should seek the guidance of social scientists and experienced practitioners in social movements. Lecturing and assigning blame (example: [2]) may bring applause and headlines, but it will not lead to solutions. The solution to this kind of problem lies in studying what works well in our communities and others, and cultivating leadership. Social practices are a good medium for spreading social solutions; we should be more skeptical of technical approaches.
I elaborated on what I see as the WMF's problematic cultivation of a culture of blame and exclusion in a blog post. [3]
Coincidentally, the most interesting idea I'm aware of in this realm comes from a former Wikia employee I know named...Danny Horn, who invented a system to facilitate rapid introductions between new and experienced users. It's one we might do well to try out on Wikimedia projects, perhaps in connection with the Teahouse.
-Pete
[[User:Peteforsyth]]
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Peteforsyth/2015_board_election_Petefor...
[2] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jimmy_Wales_at_Wikimania_2014_closin...