CZ:Managing Editor/2010/001 - Editors of their own user pages and subpages thereof

Description of problem

Are we still requiring a bio for authors? What does "editor of their own user page mean?" D. Matt Innis 15:03, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

We'd better be! Having said that, Article 8 suggests that users may do what they like with their own user pages as long as it's not abusive material. The use of 'editor' is confusing and muddies the author/editor difference. There is nothing about bios in the Charter either. That and Article 8 create a serious ambiguity which really needs a rule in place to avoid fallout problems. Take categories, for instance. There is nothing to stop an active user editing without them (as at least one contributor is doing at the moment). I always took removal of categories as an indication that the user had left, but that page only says that the departing user should not blank the page. John Stephenson 15:23, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

I suppose even editors cannot remove appropriate categories, right? They are also required to have bios on their user pages (though they are more extensive than authors'). I don't mind the ability to act as an editor on their own page. D. Matt Innis 15:46, 29 October 2010 (UTC)

Draft decision

To allow community feedback, I plan to always state a draft of my decision at least 24h before actually making it. The text below is what I plan to decide in this case. Feel free to edit the text if you think this improves it. If your edits require discussion, please use the dedicated section below. Editing and discussion in this "Draft decision" section shall stop 24h after my last edit to it.

User pages in general are governed by several articles of the Charter. For all Citizens, the following two are pertinent:

• Article 2: Citizenship shall be open to anyone who fulfills the basic conditions for participation as defined by the Management Council—including registering according to the real names policy—and agrees to abide by this Charter.
• Article 8: Citizens shall be considered Editors of their own user pages and subpages thereof, as long as content is not inflammatory or derogatory.

In my view, "registering according to the real names policy" does not make sense without having a biography on the user page that provides some basic information about the participant, their background and interests, such that other Citizens have a basis from which to explore opportunities of collaboration in the framework of the project. So yes, biographies are still required.

Requirements for biographies of Editors, Constables and elected officials go beyond those basic requirements and require a clear statement about their relevant areas of expertise (preferably with links) as well as a link to a page describing their official role in the project.

As for the general meaning of "Editors of their own user pages and subpages thereof", I interpret this as meaning that while Editors can rule on matters of content and style within the scope of their Editorship, users can rule on matters of content and style within their own user pages and subpages thereof, provided that such ruling does neither

1. contravene any other part of the Charter nor
2. interfere with the ability of other Citizens to manage content on the site according to the principles laid out by the Charter.

Articles that seem particularly relevant to the first point are

• Article 5: Citizens shall act responsibly and in a civil manner: derogatory or offensive language or behavior will not be tolerated. Citizens who interfere with another Citizen's rights as delineated by this Charter or who violate rules established by either the Management or Editorial Councils shall be subject to administrative action upon complaint of the aggrieved Citizen, the punishment of which may include, but is not limited to, suspension from the Citizendium for a period of time, or permanent expulsion. Other administrative actions may be established by the Management Council.
• Article 23: The Citizendium shall remain free of advocacy, advertisement and sensationalism.

Articles that seem particularly relevant to the second point are

• Article 34, point 8: manage technical matters (software and hardware);

Categories would clearly fall under technical matters and thus not be included in the matters that Citizens can rule upon in their user space.

I note that I interpret Article 8 as in part contradicting (and thus overruling) the current "Authors may not edit each others' user pages unless there is an explicit message to that effect on a person's page" provision at CZ:User Pages: Given that anyone can edit article pages that Editors can rule on, Article 8 would also allow anyone to edit user pages that other users can rule on, which fits with the "social covenant centered around trust" invoked by the Preamble of the Charter. However, the Charter - including articles 5, 23, 34 - also applies to edits made to the user pages of other Citizens.

The principles outlined in this decision apply equally to newly registered, current and past participants, though leniency is advised when dealing with pages that have not been edited for some time.

I will request the Management Council to review and update CZ:User Pages and Special:RequestAccount in light of this decision.

--Daniel Mietchen 23:33, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Discussion of Draft decision

I am concerned about creating hard feelings when authors change someone else's user page. Obviously, if someone is an editor on their own page, they can change it back and ask that no-one change it again, but it seems a little intrusive. I'm not sure which the constabulary would be enforcing, the author being allowed to change it, or the user telling them not to. Perhaps you could outline under what circumstances an author can change another person's user page if necessary? D. Matt Innis 02:37, 31 October 2010 (UTC)