User:Christine Bush/PseudonymPolicy: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
imported>Christine Bush (Created sub-section, "More Sources" for links to articles I intend to reference but have not yet incorporated as references.) |
imported>Christine Bush (Added an initial numbered list of points from which to expand.) |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
---- | ---- | ||
''This is a DRAFT article | ''This is a DRAFT article, now under development. When finished, the author's intention is to invite consideration of it by the Citizendium Council.'' | ||
---- | ---- | ||
| |||
http://www.wired.com/2014/04/why-we-need-online-alter-egos-now-more-than-ever/</ref> | <u>Caution: Bold Text Ahead</u>. Dear Reader, please note that this article uses '''bold text'''. While its author acknowledges that in some contexts, bold text can be construed as "yelling", ''she also wishes to reclaim this useful text style for the purpose it served for centuries prior to the advent of online discussions'', namely to draw the reader's attention to key phrases and concepts, thereby making content easier to scan. | ||
Author Representative suggests that our current real names policy<ref name="RealNamesPolicy">http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:Why_Citizendium%3F#Real_names_are_better</ref> should be revised to allow for users to contribute using pseudonyms.<ref name="WIRED">http://www.wired.com/2014/04/why-we-need-online-alter-egos-now-more-than-ever/</ref> | |||
#The current policy is '''reactionary''', discouraging participation rather than inviting it, simply to avoid the opportunity costs of a policy of anonymity. There is general agreement that CZ needs more contributors, so it does not make sense to continue enforcing an unnecessarily restrictive policy when there is a well-established third option: pseudonymity. | |||
#A real names policy is '''unfair'''. Only those who have the privilege of online participation under their real names will participate. This likely has a disproportionate impact on potential women contributors. | |||
#'''There are benefits''' to using pseudonyms, including the ability to leverage established virtual identities on other platforms. | |||
#The current policy '''reinforces stereotypes''' about CZ instead of diffusing them. | |||
Revision as of 17:51, 7 September 2014
Why Citizendium Needs to Modify Our Real Names Policy
This is a DRAFT article, now under development. When finished, the author's intention is to invite consideration of it by the Citizendium Council.
Caution: Bold Text Ahead. Dear Reader, please note that this article uses bold text. While its author acknowledges that in some contexts, bold text can be construed as "yelling", she also wishes to reclaim this useful text style for the purpose it served for centuries prior to the advent of online discussions, namely to draw the reader's attention to key phrases and concepts, thereby making content easier to scan.
Author Representative suggests that our current real names policy[1] should be revised to allow for users to contribute using pseudonyms.[2]
- The current policy is reactionary, discouraging participation rather than inviting it, simply to avoid the opportunity costs of a policy of anonymity. There is general agreement that CZ needs more contributors, so it does not make sense to continue enforcing an unnecessarily restrictive policy when there is a well-established third option: pseudonymity.
- A real names policy is unfair. Only those who have the privilege of online participation under their real names will participate. This likely has a disproportionate impact on potential women contributors.
- There are benefits to using pseudonyms, including the ability to leverage established virtual identities on other platforms.
- The current policy reinforces stereotypes about CZ instead of diffusing them.
More Sources
- Why The Nym Wars Matter by Dan York