User:Pat Palmer/sandbox/test

Citizendium is not just a writing platform, it is a community where contributors are often communicating with other contributors. The manner of communications between or among contributors can be fun, playful, serious, argumentative, etc. A helpful thing to keep in mind when communicating with other contributors is whether the interaction is ON the record or OFF the record. The five different methods of talking to fellow wiki workers are listed below, in increasing urgency and importance, and noting which are "ON" and which "OFF" the record.

Private messaging (OFF the record)

The wiki will send an email to any user on your behalf, although there is no way of being sure that they saw the email unless they respond to you. For example, they might never have confirmed their email to the wiki after joining, or their messages might be landing in the Spam folder. 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 can be helpful simply 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. If you (virtually) yell and rant, no one will be embarrassed except, perhaps, yourself. Someone might still have strong feelings about what is said, but they will not "lose face" like they might when things are said in public.

Post on a user's Talk page (ON the record)

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 specifically to one 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. This is one of the very commonly used ways of talking to another contributor. People generally keep it very cordial, saying please and thank you. In fact, getting an unsolicited "thank you" from another contributor can make someone's day. If the message is about a specific article, it is polite to "link" to that article for the reader's convenience. Once you get to know people and develop trust, these messages can just be friendly things such as "Welcome back, we missed you in here". 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 (ON the record)

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. They might also use the Talk page to ask if anyone objects to a planned change. 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. There is one big caveat, which is, to be aware of how long a post is; people might become impatient at needing to read a very long-winded post full of personal anecdotes. The safer path might be to stick mostly to business. 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 (OFF the record)

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 it's wise to avoid them if possible. This option is akin to what kids call "tattling", but sometimes, it might be the only way to get help. If the Enquiry Form doesn't get you a response, you can also look up the wiki Personnel and private message one of them personally.

Post in a public forum (ON the record)

This is the "nuclear war" 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 matters pertaining to a specific article. But the forums are a good place to ask if anyone knows what the expectation is about something, or if there is a rule, or if there should be a rule. Community debate on such matters is welcome, assuming it remains cordial. Debate can get heated but it needs to remain cordial. 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.

Awareness of ON vs. OFF the record

Anytime a contributor communicates with other contributors by any of the "ON the record" methods above, that post is visible, not just to other contributors, but to anyone on the internet. Thus, it's a good idea when making such posts, comments, questions or even complaints, to double check the verbiage before hitting SAVE. For example, have you got any "you" words in there? Is it possible to reword any "you" phrases with "I" phrases instead? For example, if you start out to write something like, "You are ignoring me", maybe that could be restated, "I am still hoping to get an answer to..." It's okay to use "you" in certain very safe situations, such as "Would you like to do that, or do you want me to?"