Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Wikipedians for encyclopedic merit: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 20:11, 17 August 2005 editBeland (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators236,625 edits →Articles to be Addressed: remove redlinked template← Previous edit		Latest revision as of 11:05, 1 August 2020 edit undoAndrybak (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Template editors81,036 edits new key for Category:Misplaced Pages WikiProjects: "encyclopedic merit" using HotCat
(269 intermediate revisions by 95 users not shown)
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{short description\|Wikimedia subject-area collaboration}}
	{{vfd}}
			{{WikiProject status\|defunct}}
	'''Wikiproject Wikipedians for Decency''' was started on ], 2005 to coordinate and promote standards of decency on Misplaced Pages. This project is intended to coordinate efforts to bring articles to appropriate standards of decency, and to help find alternatives for inappropriate content as defined by Misplaced Pages policy, and Misplaced Pages guidelines.
			:''WPEM can also stand for ]
			'''Wikiproject Wikipedians for encyclopedic merit''' was started on ], 2005 to coordinate and promote standards of encyclopedic merit for inclusion on Misplaced Pages. This project is intended to coordinate efforts to bring articles to appropriate standards of quality control, as defined by Misplaced Pages policy and Misplaced Pages guidelines, to ensure Misplaced Pages continues to be regarded as the finest source of web based reference material available. See also ].

			One aspect of encyclopedic merit relates to sexually explicit imagery and language. Specifically if some item of Misplaced Pages content appeals to only prurient interest as opposed to having encyclopedic value, it is generally preferred to substitute content that has encyclopedic value. The ] is illustrative in defining a work as obscene, in part, if it contains "patently offensive and taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" (SLAPS). A quasi-''Miller'' SLAPS test is likely to closely match Misplaced Pages's meaning of "encyclopedic value."
	Additionally since relevant sections of Florida Law have been located, standards of decency should be based on existing law in addition to Misplaced Pages policy and guidelines as the Misplaced Pages servers are hosted in Florida, and Florida law is applicable.

			However, it should be understood that the purpose of this project has nothing to do with censorship. It is merely an attempt to help Misplaced Pages establish a level or baseline of merit and what constitutes encyclopedic merit. A review of this statement by Jimbo Wales helps us to establish what that baseline should be:
	Anyone who is interested in contributing, please sign up below and post any ideas and suggestions on the ] page. Also, feel free to edit this page and add any articles that need serious work or that you feel require attention below in the '''Open Tasks''' sections. The '''notice board''' below is to inform members of the project of votes or other current Misplaced Pages events which warrant their attention with regards to this project.

			{{in5}}"We don't show full-blown mainstream pornography on the front page of wikipedia as a matter of editorial taste and judgment."
	==Parentage==
	This Wikiproject has no parents.

			Anyone who is interested in contributing, please sign up below and post any ideas and suggestions on the ] page. Also, feel free to edit this page and add any articles that need serious work or that you feel require attention below in the '''Open Tasks''' sections.
	==Descendant WikiProjects==
	No descendant WikiProjects have been defined as of yet.

			This project has been renamed from a contentious initial name (Wikipedians for decency). Members who have joined, but made ironic comments indicating their distaste for a project under the old title may wish to revise the descriptions accompanying their listing. Likewise, editors who have refrained from joining because of the prior title and mission statement may wish to reevaluate whether this WikiProject is of interest to them.

			==Other WikiProjects relating to the topic==
			*] aims to stop censorship on Misplaced Pages.

			As of ],], ] is encouraging people to "Express your opinion about ] at ]." ]\<sup>]</sup> 20:13, ] ] (UTC)

	==Members==		==Members==
			Moved to ].
	Project members, please add '''<nowiki>{{DecencyWikiProject-Member}}</nowiki>''' to your user page to identify yourself as a member of the project.

	{{DecencyWikiProject-Member}}

	*] 22:06, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
	*] 05:15, August 16, 2005 (UTC)
	*] 06:54, August 16, 2005 (UTC)
	*] 12:00, 16 August 2005 (UTC)
	*] 18:31, 16 August 2005 (UTC) (watching and helping as appropriate/available)
	*] 06:39, 17 August 2005 (UTC) - I am highly interested in developing a standard which says there shall be no new standards or censorship imposed on Misplaced Pages, as the entire concept of "decency" is POV on its face. I shall be glad to assist reaching such a goal.
	*] 06:48, August 17, 2005 (UTC) - I would like to see a standard which requires an obscene image on every page.
	*] 07:44, 17 August 2005 (UTC) - as an observer to any attempt to impose arbitrary standards of 'obscenity' and 'decency' on Misplaced Pages in opposition to ].
	*] 17:36, 17 August 2005 (UTC) - You've convinced me! I'm in!.
	*]. I think the best way I can contribute is by pretending to be a lawyer and spreading ] about Misplaced Pages being shut down by various government organizations.
	*] 19:01, 17 August 2005 (UTC)Im here to help!

	==Notice Board==
	This notice board is intended to inform members of the project of votes or other current Misplaced Pages events which warrant their attention with regards to this project. Please do not list articles in need of attention here, but rather votes for deletion, votes for policy change or other current and ongoing events which warrant the immediate attention of the member base of this WikiProject.

	Please characterize each notice as either:<font color="red">SEVERE</font>, <font color="orange">MODERATE</font>, or <font color="blue">MINOR</font> to help aid your fellow WikiProject members to determine the state of the notice.
	*<font color="red">SEVERE</font> - A critical vote over possibly objectionable content. Often these should be cases where it looks like the vote may be towards keeping an image which clearly violates Misplaced Pages Policy or the State Law of Florida.
	*<font color="orange">MODERATE</font> - Votes which while not critical involve material that is possibly objectionable and appears to violate Misplaced Pages Policy or the State Law of Florida.
	*<font color="blue">MINOR</font> - Questionable whether the content is a violation of Misplaced Pages policy, or for votes where the current consensus seems to be for maintaining Misplaced Pages standards for Images and articles.

	Please remove notices when votes are closed, or the event is no longer current. Each Sunday, all notices for the week should be consolidated into a single subcategory labeled: '''Week of:<DAY> <MONTH> - <DAY> <MONTH>''', listing the date of the Monday and Sunday of the week as the range.

	===16 August 2005===
	*<font color="red">SEVERE</font> Misplaced Pages:Images and media for deletion -> August 15th -> ]
	*: - The is highly unencyclopedic and overtly depicts a sexual act. It is made obsolete by the in the ].
	*:Suggested action - vote your conscience as to whether the image should be deleted or kept.
	*:Status of the vote as of 07:22, 16 August 2005 (UTC): '''Delete''': 7, '''Keep''': 15.
	*<font color="orange">MODERATE</font> Misplaced Pages:Images and media for deletion -> August 10th -> ]
	*: - The is highly unencyclopedic and overtly depicts a sexual act. It is made obsolete by this .
	*:Suggested action - vote your conscience as to whether the image should be deleted or kept.
	*:Status: No votes, but votes may be forth coming as it is cited in the the above mentioned SEVERE notice's discussion.
	*<font color="orange">MODERATE</font> Misplaced Pages:Images and media for deletion -> August 10th -> ]
	*: - The is highly unencyclopedic and overtly depicts a sexual act. It is made obsolete by this .
	*:Suggested action - vote your conscience as to whether the image should be deleted or kept.
	*:Status: No votes, but votes may be forth coming as it is cited in the the above mentioned SEVERE notice's discussion.
	*<font color="blue">MINOR</font> Misplaced Pages:Images and media for deletion -> August 10th -> ]
	*: - The is highly unencyclopedic and is needlessly sexual.
	*:Suggested action - vote your conscience as to whether the image should be deleted or kept.
	*:Status: No votes, orphaned image, likely to be deleted.

	==Open Tasks==		==Open Tasks==
	===Working Standard for Obscenity and Decency in Images===
	*] - a place in the WikiProject namespace for a working standard on decency.
	===Develop standards and factors for obscenity===
	The standards for obscenity depend on the community. In this case, it is the Wiki community. We should develop factors for consideration specific to the Wiki community in determining whether an image or an article is obscene.
	*Base such standards on pre-existing Misplaced Pages suggestion and policy, or statements by Misplaced Pages founders such as Jimbo.

			=== Working standard for encyclopedic merit of images ===
	Some discussions on the issue:
			*] - a place in the WikiProject namespace for a working standard on the encyclopedic merit of images.
	*
			*Develop proposals for Misplaced Pages style guidelines about when images that might be offensive or disturbing to some readers should be included by indirect reference rather than within the main flow of an article (or otherwise masked). It may be appropriate for some articles discussing sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise potentially uncomfortable content to contain links along the lines of "Click for an image of X" rather than directly inline versions of those images.
	*
	* - Jimbo removes an image commenting:
	<blockquote>
	''This image is completely unacceptable for wikipedia -- I don't even consider this borderline''
	</blockquote>
	:*Why is it unacceptable? We need to get a statement from Jimbo.
	:**I have . I'll report more when I hear back. ] 08:08, 16 August 2005 (UTC)
	*
	**Under Florida Title XLVI Chapter 847 Section 011, it is a third degree felony to distribute photographs of sexual acts in such a way that they are available to minors. Without an age check, such photos are a felony, and could cause Misplaced Pages to be shut down.
	::: This is not correct. The material must be more than just "photographs of sexual acts", it must be "obscene". The definition of obscenity used considers the purpose of the image - if it's there for sexual gratification it's obscene, if it's to educate, explain or inform it's not. Images in the first category are removed from wikipedia anyway as superfluous; if not, they clearly have a useful role in an encyclopedia and hence fall into the latter division. ] 16:04, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

			=== Suggest constructive ways to modify the statement of policy ===
	::::Actually, the Florida law only makes exceptions for artistic, literary, political and scientific purposes, not necessarily just because a picture is intended to "educate, explain or inform" (unless I missed that part). - ] 16:31, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

	:::::Such exceptions must be read into the law under the U.S. Supreme Court's Miller decision. If they are not, the law is unconstitutional. ] ] 17:28, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

	::::::Whoops. Excuse my ignorance, I'm ]. - ] 17:47, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

	===Suggest constructive ways to modify the statement of policy===
	Current policies:		Current policies:
	*]		*]
	*]		*]
			Guidelines (not policy):
	*]		*]
	*Undefined "no nudity policy" but that does not mean it must be G-rated		*Undefined "no nudity policy" but that does not mean it must be G-rated
	**The current undefined "no nudity policy" is more on the lines of "no pornography" policy, the difference being that nudity could be found in an art museum, pornography could not.		**The current undefined "no nudity policy" is more on the lines of "no pornography" policy, the difference being that nudity could be found in an art museum, pornography could not.

			===Consider Possible Application of PICS===
	===Responses to those who want no standard or oppose deletion of obscenity===

			The mechanism designed to support 'content labelling' on the Web is ]. This is feasible from a technical point of view, PICS is supported in IE and other browsers and is technically viable. Implementation in Misplaced Pages might require some code updates but this could probably be made painless by creating a special type of category linked to a PICS header.

			Deployment of PICS would in a good faith world allow for labelling of potentially disturbing content in such a manner that would make it easier for Misplaced Pages to be used in schools. It would also allow for automated detection of certain types of vandalism, an attempt to add a pornographic image to a random article could be flagged.

			The problem with PICS is that it is likely to be abused. PICS is a censorship scheme (no matter what the promoters claimed). I think it is reasonable to control content that might be used in a classroom. I don't think it is reasonable, sensible or even desirable to attempt to control what teenagers view at home. Furthermore, the tagging of images would likely be seen as POV and warred over for many borderline cases.

			=== Analyze legal liabilities Misplaced Pages may be exposed to ===
			In the USA material with "serious literary, artistic or scientific purpose" is generally free of exposure to obscenity prosecution. Recent legislation in the USA has reintroduced the concept of "indecent" content or content "harmful to minors". While Misplaced Pages is not (and should not be) created or maintained to meet the latest laws of some particular jurisdiction, it is hosted on United States soil, and we would like to understand the areas where legal restrictions and encyclopedic merit intersect.

			==== Develop understanding of "blue law" exposure ====
	*Statement: If Wiki cannot conform to all worldwide communities (and it can't), then it should not conform to any of them
			* Find actual legal opinion about any obscenity/decency prosecution that Misplaced Pages might plausibly face due to the physical location of its servers (in Florida).
	:*Responses:
			** According to ], a Florida attorney, Misplaced Pages is not threatened by Florida laws.
	*Statement: There is no concern that Misplaced Pages could become a porn site; there are no plans to turn Misplaced Pages into anything other than an encyclopedia
			* Determine '''where''' Misplaced Pages is, in fact, hosted from a legal perpective. Expanded co-hosting by Google, Yahoo, or by mirror sites in various places may affect judicability and standing in case of potential suit against Misplaced Pages.
	:*Responses:
			* Determine whether a change in location of physical servers would avoid legal liabilities, should such be determined to exist with current hosting.
	*Statement: You believe that these images should not be shown on Misplaced Pages because you think they're 'obscene'. That implies a moral judgement, and is therefore directly in opposition to ], the founding principle of Misplaced Pages
	:*Responses:

			====Standardizations for citable references====
	===Articles to be Addressed===
			*References utilized should be from retrievable sources, not from defunct and or no longer published sources which make cross referencing almost impossible.
	Feel free to add any articles that need to be addressed or improved to this list.
			*Exercise quality control to ensure referencing is from reliable sources; where necessary, note the established consensus on the reliability of questionable sources.
	When adding a page, place '''<nowiki>{{DecencyWikiProject}}</nowiki>''' on the articles talk page.
			*Refrain from utilization of tabloid media without further support from mainstream sources, unless specifically discussing tabloid coverage of the subject (e.g., noting how a particular celebrity is covered in tabloids; a discussion of ] is impossible without reference to ]).

			==== Related discussions ====
	{{DecencyWikiProject}}
			*
			*
			*

			]
	:: I'd like to suggest that the wording in that banner be altered slightly. The kind of article you propose placing it on is not really "part of" the decency project. The meaning is something more like "is currently being investigated by", although I don't think those words are quite appropriate as they sound slightly sinister and also suggest a certain authority that is not actually present. Something with that meaning but which sounds better is needed. ] 20:04, 17 August 2005 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 11:05, 1 August 2020

Wikimedia subject-area collaboration

This WikiProject is defunct.
Consider looking for related projects for help or ask at the Teahouse.
If you feel this project may be worth reviving, please discuss with related projects first. Feel free to change this tag if the parameters were changed in error.

WPEM can also stand for Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Electronic music

Wikiproject Wikipedians for encyclopedic merit was started on August 15, 2005 to coordinate and promote standards of encyclopedic merit for inclusion on Misplaced Pages. This project is intended to coordinate efforts to bring articles to appropriate standards of quality control, as defined by Misplaced Pages policy and Misplaced Pages guidelines, to ensure Misplaced Pages continues to be regarded as the finest source of web based reference material available. See also Misplaced Pages:Misplaced Pages as an academic source.

One aspect of encyclopedic merit relates to sexually explicit imagery and language. Specifically if some item of Misplaced Pages content appeals to only prurient interest as opposed to having encyclopedic value, it is generally preferred to substitute content that has encyclopedic value. The Miller test is illustrative in defining a work as obscene, in part, if it contains "patently offensive and taken as a whole lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" (SLAPS). A quasi-Miller SLAPS test is likely to closely match Misplaced Pages's meaning of "encyclopedic value."

However, it should be understood that the purpose of this project has nothing to do with censorship. It is merely an attempt to help Misplaced Pages establish a level or baseline of merit and what constitutes encyclopedic merit. A review of this statement by Jimbo Wales helps us to establish what that baseline should be:

"We don't show full-blown mainstream pornography on the front page of wikipedia as a matter of editorial taste and judgment."

Anyone who is interested in contributing, please sign up below and post any ideas and suggestions on the Talk page. Also, feel free to edit this page and add any articles that need serious work or that you feel require attention below in the Open Tasks sections.

This project has been renamed from a contentious initial name (Wikipedians for decency). Members who have joined, but made ironic comments indicating their distaste for a project under the old title may wish to revise the descriptions accompanying their listing. Likewise, editors who have refrained from joining because of the prior title and mission statement may wish to reevaluate whether this WikiProject is of interest to them.

Members

Moved to Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Wikipedians for encyclopedic merit/Members.

Open Tasks

Working standard for encyclopedic merit of images

Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Wikipedians for encyclopedic merit/Working standard for encyclopedic merit of images - a place in the WikiProject namespace for a working standard on the encyclopedic merit of images.
Develop proposals for Misplaced Pages style guidelines about when images that might be offensive or disturbing to some readers should be included by indirect reference rather than within the main flow of an article (or otherwise masked). It may be appropriate for some articles discussing sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise potentially uncomfortable content to contain links along the lines of "Click for an image of X" rather than directly inline versions of those images.

Suggest constructive ways to modify the statement of policy

Current policies:

Guidelines (not policy):

Misplaced Pages:Profanity
Undefined "no nudity policy" but that does not mean it must be G-rated
- The current undefined "no nudity policy" is more on the lines of "no pornography" policy, the difference being that nudity could be found in an art museum, pornography could not.

Consider Possible Application of PICS

The mechanism designed to support 'content labelling' on the Web is PICS. This is feasible from a technical point of view, PICS is supported in IE and other browsers and is technically viable. Implementation in Misplaced Pages might require some code updates but this could probably be made painless by creating a special type of category linked to a PICS header.

Deployment of PICS would in a good faith world allow for labelling of potentially disturbing content in such a manner that would make it easier for Misplaced Pages to be used in schools. It would also allow for automated detection of certain types of vandalism, an attempt to add a pornographic image to a random article could be flagged.

The problem with PICS is that it is likely to be abused. PICS is a censorship scheme (no matter what the promoters claimed). I think it is reasonable to control content that might be used in a classroom. I don't think it is reasonable, sensible or even desirable to attempt to control what teenagers view at home. Furthermore, the tagging of images would likely be seen as POV and warred over for many borderline cases.

Analyze legal liabilities Misplaced Pages may be exposed to

In the USA material with "serious literary, artistic or scientific purpose" is generally free of exposure to obscenity prosecution. Recent legislation in the USA has reintroduced the concept of "indecent" content or content "harmful to minors". While Misplaced Pages is not (and should not be) created or maintained to meet the latest laws of some particular jurisdiction, it is hosted on United States soil, and we would like to understand the areas where legal restrictions and encyclopedic merit intersect.

Develop understanding of "blue law" exposure

Find actual legal opinion about any obscenity/decency prosecution that Misplaced Pages might plausibly face due to the physical location of its servers (in Florida).
- According to BD2412, a Florida attorney, Misplaced Pages is not threatened by Florida laws.
Determine where Misplaced Pages is, in fact, hosted from a legal perpective. Expanded co-hosting by Google, Yahoo, or by mirror sites in various places may affect judicability and standing in case of potential suit against Misplaced Pages.
Determine whether a change in location of physical servers would avoid legal liabilities, should such be determined to exist with current hosting.

Standardizations for citable references

References utilized should be from retrievable sources, not from defunct and or no longer published sources which make cross referencing almost impossible.
Exercise quality control to ensure referencing is from reliable sources; where necessary, note the established consensus on the reliability of questionable sources.
Refrain from utilization of tabloid media without further support from mainstream sources, unless specifically discussing tabloid coverage of the subject (e.g., noting how a particular celebrity is covered in tabloids; a discussion of Bat Boy is impossible without reference to Weekly World News).

Related discussions

Categories: