User:MeeDee/Assume Good Faith

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This is a Personal Essay written by a member/members of the Fanlore community. Nothing in this essay is intended to officially reflect Fanlore’s policies (except where we actually link to Fanlore policies) or be the final (or even the first, second or third word) on this or any other topic.[1] Or as Wikipedia says so much more succinctly:

“This essay contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. Essays may represent widespread norms or minority viewpoints. Consider these views with discretion. [Personal] Essays are not Wikipedia policies.”[2]

Begin personal essay:

From time to time, you may come across entries that are “wrong”, facts or events or names that are missing, entries that seem to show a bias towards one point of view, or just plain gaps in discussions of fandom history. First off: don’t panic! Any page on Fanlore is editable by anyone with an account.

But more importantly, first assume that the edits were made in good faith. In fact, this assumption is at the heart of wiki editing[3] and is even more crucial to a fan-run wiki like Fanlore. Most people are adding content to Fanlore out of the love of fandom. We are here to tell our fannish history in our own voices, with enthusiasm and passion.

So what does “assume good faith mean?” Wikipedia writes: “It is the assumption that editors' edits and comments are made in good faith. Most people try to help the project, not hurt it. If this were untrue, a project like Wikipedia would be doomed from the beginning. This guideline does not require that editors continue to assume good faith in the presence of obvious evidence to the contrary (vandalism). Assuming good faith does not prohibit discussion and criticism. Rather, editors should not attribute the actions being criticized to malice unless there is specific evidence of malice.”[4]

In practical terms it means that, when changes to a page are made, it is important to ask questions to understand why the changes are being made and if this is a case where Fanlore’s Plural Points of View (PPOV) policy comes into play. Sometimes, edits are mistakes or the result of confusing topics or events. Sometimes the person making the edit only has a small piece of the overall big picture. And sometimes, they are made because the editor disagrees with what has been written and wants to offer their perspective on fan history . On the other hand, assuming good faith is not required in the face of obvious evidence of spam or vandalism.

Even if you suspect that the edits are being not being made in good faith, it is wise to focus on the edits themselves and avoid accusing others of harmful motives without clear evidence. Follow Fanlore’s process of building a consensus on the Discussion (Talk) pages. Avoid edits wars (where you and others make changes to a page back and forth without discussion). If you reach an impasse, it may be helpful to solicit community input by sending a request to the Gardeners mailing list or making a post in the Fanlore Dreamwidth community.

Other things to consider:

  • Be patient with new editors. They may not understand the policies, or even if they do understand the policies they may be simply expressing a different point of view. Being new to communal wiki editing, the concept that their edits themselves can be edited may be bewildering and daunting and a bit invasive. They may also feel that Fanlore’s policies (or pages) need to be changed to match how they feel things should be done. The introduction of new ideas and policies is what makes a wiki a living and breathing communal space. And, new editors may have a lot of energy to put behind their new ideas which can be mistaken for rudeness. Focusing on the reasons behind Fanlore’s policies and explaining why they have been adopted can help both new and old editors reach a consensus.
  • Show good faith in your own actions – explain the reasons why you want your changes to be made, the reasons behind *your* POV and do your best to demonstrate a willingness to find a way to incorporate multiple points of view. It may be something as simple as saying: “Some fans believe…On the other hand, other fans disagree and feel……”
  • Stay cool – even if you are confronted with clear evidence of bad faith, stay civil and try not to escalate. This is where getting wider input (Gardeners, Fanlore DW community) may help in sorting out what to do next.
  • And last…..consider reading your own text three times through before clicking "Save".[5]

Additional Reading


References

  1. ^ This essay may also be changed or edited or updated at any time.
  2. ^ What Wikipedia has to say about personal user essays.
  3. ^ What Wikipedia has to say about assuming good faith.
  4. ^ In addition, to the main Wikipedia article about assuming good faith in edits, Wikipedia has many personal essays, like this one, some of them with amusing titles such as: “Assume no clue” and “Assume the presence of a belly button, which translates as “there is an editor at the other end of the keyboard who might make an innocent mistake, without intending to do anything wrong, without even realizing it. Said editor usually has a belly button.”
  5. ^ Thanks to Wikipedia User Ben for this last suggestion.
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