User:Pat Palmer/sandbox/test

How we communicate within the wiki: On the record, and Off the record

Citizendium is not just a writing platform, it is a community, and contributors often need to communicate with other contributors. Citizendium provides the following ways to communicate:

Private messaging - The wiki will send an email to any user on your behalf, but you have no way of being sure that they saw the email unless they respond to you. When it works, private messaging is similar to a text, phone call, or private conversation in the hallway of a workplace, or to talking in an office with the door closed. There is no record of the communication within the wiki itself. This kind of communications is very important, because it is "off the record". There is no legal consequence associated with it, and there can be no discipline issued as a result of it.

Post on a user's Talk page - The wiki will email the user to let them know someone posted on their Talk page. Other contributors can also see the post. This is kind of like leaving a note on the door outside a person's office at their workplace; anyone who chooses to walk by can see the post. This communication is directed specially at that user, so even though other contributors may view the message, they would not usually post about it unless they have important information to add to the message. These posts are visible to anyone in the world, and so they are "on the record" and could have legal consequences or result in discipline.

Post on an article's Talk page - Here is where collaborators normally discuss how to do things on the article itself. It's supposed to be "on topic", kind of like putting a poster up in the lunchroom about what's for lunch at work. You would not want to put the lunch menu in, say, the auditorium. Other contributors interested in working on the article will usually read the Talk page before beginning to work on the article. Anyone interested in the article is welcome to leave a comment or question there, or to respond to existing comments and questions there, as long as it's about this article. These posts are visible to anyone in the world, and so they are "on the record" and could have legal consequences or result in discipline.

Appeals to wiki management - The enquiry form can be used to reach wiki managers if there is a dispute or problem about an article that is not getting resolved amicably on the Talk page. Then, wiki management can attempt to mediate a resolution. This is like calling the boss and asking for help when you can't work things out with an employee. There is no legal consequence associated with making such a request, and there can be no discipline issued as a result of it. Discipline (such as warnings, or temporary or permanent bans) only happen as a result of posts made "on the record". However, it does take a toll on managers to handle such requests, so they generally should be a last resort. This option is akin to what kids call "tattling", but sometimes, it might be the only way to get help.

Post in a public forum (the "nuclear" option) - The forums are public, as in visible not just to contributors, but to anyone anywhere on the internet. The forum pages are intended for policy discussions among the entire community. The forums are not intended as places to negotiate disputes about a given article. These posts are visible to anyone in the world, and so they are "on the record" and could have legal consequences or result in discipline.