[WikiEN-l] Userboxen

[Tony Sidaway]

On 2/27/06, Fred Bauder <fredbaud at ctelco.net> wrote:
> Neutral point of view is a core Wikipedia policy. Harassing users who
> are football fans doesn't logically relate to that policy.

That isn't a fair statement of what the userbox argument is about.  It
isn't about stopping people saying what they want (or even saying it
with wikicode).  The currently forming consensus for the new userbox
policy shows that there is a very strong middle ground that affirms
free expression on userpages but accepts that:

"Templates designed for use in userspace should only be permitted
where they are of benefit to creating an encyclopaedia, and are
general enough in scope that they are likely to be used by a
reasonable number of editors. Userboxes existing as templates should
be those useful to declare a relevant skill, speciality, editing
interest, or membership of a valid wiki-grouping. Advocacy or POV
declaring are specifically excluded."

Continually casting it as a matter of harassing users or disrupting
Wikipedia is both unhelpful to this forming consensus, and quite
incorrect on the facts.