[WikiEN-l] We need to recognize that advocating is a basic right

[John Tex]

We need to recognize that each user has a right to try to influence policy
in ways that they believe are beneficial to the project.  Two basic tenets
of this are discussing the ideas and building up groups of people who agree
with you and who will help you bring about the beneficial change.

This is "advocacy".  Contacting people to recruit them to support you or to
act according to beliefs you think they may already have should rightly be
called "campaigning". This is a Good Thing.


 Let's stop insulting people by calling them "meat puppets" or "vote
stackers".  Let's stop confusing the issue by calling it "spamming".  It is
not spamming.  Spamming is indiscriminately notifying people that are
probably not interested in the hopes that a few people will be.  This is
practically the opposite.

Attempting to stifle advocacy is harmful to the consensus building process
and it is harmful to the project.  If we try to prohibit it, it will just be
taken off-wiki, which would be a huge shame.
Johntex