Wiki Ethics

The Wiki is a powerful tool and there are few strict rules, but over time the community has developed a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.

If you are completely new to the Wiki, a light primer of common mistakes is located at Getting Started.

• Respect the opinions of others. On the other hand, make it clear whether you are expressing a fact or an opinion.
  

• Try not to destroy content. When updating out-of-date content, it may be valuable to keep some of the history. For instance, mark business pages with [[Include(Departed Business)]] rather than deleting them.
  

• If you don't agree with something, promote dialogue by including all sides of the argument. The use of /Talk pages is a good way to accomplish this. If you've seen two editors making and unmaking the same edit, step in and create a /Talk page using the Talk button.
  

• Use the wiki for good and not evil.
  

• This is not a good place to have a casual conversation. Don't be afraid to summarize or re-organize past entries for the sake of readability.
  

• 'Conversation' on a page can usually be turned into something when meaningfully structured.
  

• Little streams of comments on the bottom of a page can usually be reworked into different areas of the page. Use comments left to improve the writeup by putting them in the proper spot.
  

• Do not fear disagreement and debate. It is the most important part of the process.
  

• Always be civil to all, and be especially nice to those who are new to our community.
  

• There's a consensus that ["Users/FirstnameLastname"] pages are the property of that user. Edit them if you'd like, but respect the owner's wishes.
  

• Use a single user-account, and refrain from creating sock-puppets, i.e. a user that mimics thoughts expressed by your primary account, but in no way reveals the two speakers to be one and the same.
  

• The wiki is about the Pittsburgh community. If you find yourself in a tangential debate or edit war, balance things by matching every contribution you make on that page, with a positive contribution about Pittsburgh on another page, even if it's just some minor gnoming.

Possible ideas (add what you want, even if it's just a bud of an idea):

• Threats of any kind. Threatening other users is totally inappropriate.
  

• Libel (spreading lies via print)
  

• Creating pages that intentionally mislead users. This is not to say that dramatic or humorous wording is disallowed; just that it should be clear to an average reader when something is true versus when something is a joke or tongue in cheek.
  

• Anything that might legally be construed as "Hate".
  

• Confrontational speech is usually edited or removed. Controversial statements should be attributed to those who say them.
  

• Derisive commentary motivated by gender, race, orientation or political beliefs.
  

• Personal information regarding an individual without their permission. Some leeway might be acceptable for public figures. When in doubt, get permission.
  

• Pornography

Trying to sum up the Wiki philosophy in an artful phrase is difficult, but here are some attempts:

• Back in 1994, the Web was a pretty wonderful place, with lots of people putting up stuff just because they thought someone else would find it interesting or useful. Wiki preserves that feeling in a place that has become too much of a shopping mall. It reminds people that sometimes to work together you have to trust each other more than you have any reason to. —Ward Cunningham

• It's better to convince someone of something through argument than to delete.

• Put a flier on the wall. Just don't put a flier over someone elses.

• The Wiki is made to be altered.

• Your house will be the next builder's brick.

• "We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours." — John of Salisbury (11th century monk)

• In the real world, it's possible to randomly punch strangers in the stomach. What stops us from doing this? The fact that we're not assholes, that's what. (Jick's Law)

Note that these aren't really rules or subjects to discuss, just attempts at witty turns of phrase that convey a personal philosophy about the Wiki. Think beautiful words, not legal clauses.

• c2.com — Cunningham & Cunningham, Inc.'s Wiki is an early Wiki, but certainly not the last word on Ethics - each Wiki builds its own set of beliefs and choices.

Do you have a question about ethics?

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This entry has been adapted from the Davis Wiki.