Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 15:50, 1 August 2009

• WP:NOT_HERE
• WP:NHBE

A major pillar of Misplaced Pages is that users are here to "build an encyclopedia". Not being here for that purpose has been a basis for removal of users and pages by administrators and the community, as well as being cited as a reason for removal in many discussions .

In a number of cases, users ultimately felt not here to build an encyclopedia had immense leeway granted, and the project did not necessarily benefited from their presence prior to their eventual blocking, or Arbcom or community ban.

This page sums up what it means to be "here to build an encyclopedia". Its aim is to provide a more definite and level field when a user is possibly not here to build an encyclopedia.

Purpose of Misplaced Pages

"Building an encyclopedia" means that a user is here primarily to help improve encyclopedia articles and content, and to provide constructive input into communal discussions and processes that may improve these.

Because Misplaced Pages is a collaborative community, users whose personal agendas and actions appear to grossly conflict with Misplaced Pages's own agendas have in some cases found their editing access was removed until they decide whether they are truly here to "build an encyclopedia" or not.

The expression is a long-standing rule for distinguishing between constructive and non-constructive users and pages. It has been written at various times into the Five Pillars of Misplaced Pages, Tip of the Day, and older versions of blocking policy.

"Building an encyclopedia"

Building an encyclopedia tends to imply:

• Genuine interest and improvement - A genuine interest in improving the encyclopedic content (articles and media). This often involves a wide range of interests, and substantive edits/article writing or other significant activities. It may also include constructive improvements to the processes that are involved in improving content, or mitigating and reducing problems that make a negative contribution to Misplaced Pages's.
• Respect for core editing standards - Behaving in accordance with core agreed policies when editing, including policies on content, and policies on behavior.
• A focus on encyclopedia building - Non-encyclopedic contributions such as personal pages and non-encyclopedic opinion pages, kept to a limited level, in comparison to positive directly constructive contributions.
• Self-correction and heeding lessons - When mistakes are made, there is visible effort to learn from them; the user appears to take editing seriously and improve their editorial ability and their quality of input.

Indications that a user may not be here to build an encyclopedia include:

• Narrow self interest and promotion - Narrow self interested or promotional activity in article writing (see WP:SPA).
• Treating as a battleground not an encyclopedia - Excessive soapboxing, importing or exporting of disputes, repeated hostile aggressiveness, and the like, may suggest a user is here to fight rather than here to build an encyclopedia. If a user has a dispute then they are expected to place the benefit of the project at a high priority and seek dispute resolution. A user whose anger causes them to obsess, may find the fight becomes their focus, not encyclopedia writing.
• Dishonest and gaming behaviors - Gaming the system, socking, and other forms of editorial dishonesty. Misplaced Pages broadly works on a basis of trust, and such activities undermine that trust and suggest other motives such as "lulz" (amusement at destructiveness) or a complete lack of interest in good editing conduct practices.
• Little or no interest in working collaboratively - Excessive lack of interest in working constructively and in mutual manner with the community even if views of other users differ, excessive lack of interest in heeding others legitimate concerns, or interest in furthering rather than mitigating conflict, rather than constructive approaches.
• Major or irreconcilable conflict of attitude or intention - Major conflicts of attitude, related to wikipedia-related activity. A user may have extreme or even criminal views or lifestyle in some areas, or be repugnant to other users, and yet be here to "build an encyclopedia". However some activities are by nature inconsistent with editing access, such as legal threats against other users, harassment, or actions off-site that suggest a grossly divergent intention or gross undermining of the project as a whole. Editors must be able to relax collegially together and there is a level of off-site speech at which this may not be reasonable to expect.
• Inconsistent long-term agenda - Users who, based on substantial Misplaced Pages-related evidence, seem to want editing rights only in order to legitimize a soapbox or other personal stance (ie engage in some basic editing not so much to "build an encyclopedia", as to be able to assert a claim to be a "productive editor"..... whereas in fact by their own words or actions their true longer term motive is more likely to be "not here to build an encyclopedia").
• Having a long term or "extreme" history that suggests a marked lack of value for the project's actual aims and methods. This may include repeated chances and warnings, all of which were flouted upon return or promises to change that proven insincere, were gamed, or otherwise the word or spirit was not actually kept.