User:Auggie/Statement of principles

From Encyc
Revision as of 09:13, 19 November 2009 by Emperor (talk | contribs)

This is a statement of principles from Encyc founder Emperor[1]. It is modeled on Jimbo Wales' Statement of principles on Wikipedia.

  1. We need free content - Contributors who donate their time by offering quality writing are to be appreciated.
  2. Administrators are here to provide a safe, pleasant working environment - They are not to use their powers to win content disputes.
  3. "You can edit this page right now" is a core guiding check on everything that we do. We must respect this principle as sacred. - This line is lifted straight from Wikipedia. Encyc shamelessly steals this idea, and will live by it.
  4. The Encyc MediaWiki uses MediaWiki software - and has essentially no control in how this software develops or changes. I will try to be responsive for requests for extensions.
  5. The Encyc MediaWiki uses the Creative Commons Attribution - Share Alike License - to be compatible with Wikipedia, because we believe in sharing free content.
  6. Encyc has no official mailing list - because MediaWiki is sufficient for us to communicate. I will not suppress lists if users make them.
  7. Complaints are looked at as valuable feedback - but nobody has to listen to them if they don't want to.
  8. Encyc is meant to be readable - Ideally I'm thinking of something about as readable as USA Today, a general-interest newspaper that a high school student can read and enjoy. I dislike jargon, academic terms, and other language that gets in the way of effective communication.
  9. The Management shall stay out of the way - Wikis work best as communities of equals.
  10. Encyc should not hurt people - Users are discouraged from publishing personal information or conducting extended campaigns to present living people in a bad light.
  11. Encyc is a general-interest encyclopedia, but it is also not paper - Users should be given wide latitude to express themselves
  12. Encyc wiki code should be understandable by a layperson - Encyc shall not lose the wiki-way and make editing a page something that only a computer programmer feels comfortable doing.
  13. Encyc strives to be as inclusive as possible - Want to write an article about your favorite Pokemon or your cousin's landscaping business? Why not?

Notes

  1. As "Emperor" I wield absolute power here, and these principles represent no restriction of my power to do whatever I want at any time.