User talk:D. Matt Innis/CurrentDraft/RevisedStructure

My CUrrent Draft

This draft document shall serve as the basis for public discussion. It represents a compromise amongst the drafters, who may have different individual opinions on some aspects of this Charter.

Preamble

Citizendium is a collaborative effort to collect, structure, and update knowledge and to render it conveniently accessible to the public for free. It is created by volunteers — henceforth Citizens — who contribute under their real names and agree to a social covenant centered around trust.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally preamble revise remove "update" revise as per Russell, agree to 'this' and okay with removing update accept accept revise "agree to a social" ==> "agree to this social" revise other word for "update"? / "a covenant" to "this covenent" preamble Revise (4) }}

Part I: Citizenship and Editorship

Article 1

Participation at the Citizendium shall be restricted to Citizens.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 1 accept revise another word than restricted accept accept revise restrict? how about "participants shall be called citizens" revise is this necessary? The definition of "Citizens" is already in the preamble; real restrictions are in article 2 1 Not Accepted (3 revise; 3 accept) }}

Article 2

Citizenship shall be open to anyone who

1. meets a few basic conditions as defined by the Management Council,
2. registers and contributes under his or her real name, and
3. agrees to the Citizendium's fundamental principles as defined by the Charter.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 2 accept revise #1 too easily abused accept accept accept revise possibly delete "registers" 2 accept (4) }}

Article 3

Citizens shall contribute freely within the limits of the project's mission.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 3 accept but is it necessary? revise what mission? accept Could be combined with 11; see also 1 revise role of editors needs to be defined in the charter, but this is not ideal accept but it's meaningless reject superfluous 3 not accepted (3 accept, 2 revise, 1 reject) }}

Article 4

The Citizendium community shall recognize the special role that experts play

1. in defining content standards in their relevant fields and
2. in assuring that the site's content is reliable and meets high quality standards.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 4 accept accept accept accept accept revise "approved content" revise mention approval; move "in" before enumeration 4 Accept (5) }}

Article 5

Citizens shall act responsibly and in a civil manner: derogatory or offensive commentary will not be tolerated.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 5 accept accept accept accept accept revise probably better to exchange 4 and 5 5 Accept (5) }}

Article 6

Editors are Citizens whose expertise in some field of knowledge is recognized and formally acknowledged by the community.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 6 accept but needs a subheading above it accept needs to be moved to editor section accept accept but merge content of 8 into this Accept accept 6 Accept (6) }}

Article 7

The group ofEditors shall have to assure the quality of the Citizendium's content. They shall review and evaluate articles and shall have the right

1. to approve high-quality articles that treat their topic adequately,
2. to decide in disputes over specific content matters, and
3. to remove incorrect(ly) or poorly presented content.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 7 revise change point two to read: "to make decisions regarding content matters, and" and no "ly" on "incorrectly" revise get rid of "Group" of editors and #3 revise accept Joe's changes Reject this article needs limits revise "assure" is problematic, otherwise as per Joe 7 Revise (5) }}

Article 8

Official recognition of expertise — obtained through either education or experience — and its scope shall be based on guidelines established by the Editorial Council.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 8 accept accept accept delete content to go into 6 Accept accept 8 Accept (5) }}

Article 9

WithdrawalRemoval of Editor status shall require a formal decision by the Editorial Council and shall enjoy the full rights of appeal.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 9 revise Removal of Editor status shall require a formal decision by the Editorial Council and may be appealed. revise to Joe's version or similar accept accept original version preferred: why a right of appeal? Accept Joe's changes okay too revise as per Joe 9 Not accepted (3 accept, 3 revise) }}

Part II: Content and style

Article 10

An Editorial Council shall be empowered to develop policy on content and style, including but not limited to original content.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 10 accept (with Matt's introduction) revise revise accept clarify "original content" revise this role for the EC needs more thought revise To develop policy on original content should mean also not to ban it. revise clarify "original content" 10 Revise (4) }}

Article 11

The Citizendium shall welcome contributions to all fields of knowledge.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 11 revise very slightly: change "to" to "in" revise per Joe "to" to "in" reject Could be used against EC/Editors deciding subject is unacceptable fringe, advocacy, etc. accept Accept revise as per Joe 11 Not accepted (3 revise, 2 accept, 1 reject) }}

Article 12

All articles shall treat their subjects comprehensively, neutrally, and objectively to the greatest degree possible in a well-written narrative, complementing text with other suitable material and media.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 12 accept accept accept accept accept but this has come a long way from the original paragraph we hashed out last November. accept 12 Accept as written }}

Article 13

All basic material shall be intended for the general public. It shall be presented as clearly as possible, without unnecessary complications, and advanced topics shall be made as accessible as possible.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 13 accept accept revise Define "general public" as college undergraduate accept accept accept "general public" might need clarification 13 Accept (5) }}

Article 14

Specialist material — including (within the limits set by the Editorial Council) original research — shall be welcome, too. It shall be put into context with background information and non-specialist material.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 14 accept accept revise In other words, accept accept accept revise Specialist material — including original research — shall be welcome, within the limits set by the Editorial Council. It shall be put into context with background information and non-specialist material. 14 Accept (4) }}

Article 15

High-quality articles shall be distinguished as approved articles and be protected and kept available permanently as citable references.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 15 revise Articles formally judged to be of high-quality by editors shall be designated "approved", protected and kept permanently available. revise like Joes version revise Joe's revision acceptable accept accept Joe's revision acceptable revise as per Joe 15 Revise (4) }}

Article 16

The Citizendium shall remain free of advocacy, advertisement and sensationalism.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 16 accept accept accept accept revise "Official Posts" must be clearly defined in Article 17, 18, or 19: "The Citizendium shall be governed by five official posts: MC, EC, ME, O, and Constabulary." You have to declare your variables before you use them. Declaring them here resolves confusion in Article 24. accept 16 Accept (5) }}

Part III: Organization and offices

Article 17

The Citizendium shall be devoted to transparent and fair governance with a minimum of bureaucracy.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 17 accept revise combine 17,18,19 accept accept accept revise revise as per Russell's comment on art. 16; merge with 18 & 19 17 Accept (4) }}

Article 18

It shall be governed by two Councils:

1. an Editorial Council; and
2. a Management Council,

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 18 accept revise not "assisted by" accept accept accept revise see art. 17 18 Accept (4) }}

Article 19

The councils will be assisted by the following:

1. a Managing Editor,
2. a Constabulary, and
3. an Ombudsman.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 19 accept revise they have their own functions accept accept accept revise see art. 17 19 Accept (4) }}

Article 20 (old 3637)

• Each year, half the members of the two Councils shall be elected.
• For newly elected members, the term of office shall begin on first of January for the Editorial Council, and on first of July for the Management Council.
• Any Citizen may nominate and support one or more candidates for a Council.
• A Citizen who is supported by another Citizen becomes a candidate by declaring the intention to serve for the whole term.
• Any Citizen accepting a nomination shall retreat immediately from any involvement in the election's organization.
• The candidates collecting the most votes shall be elected.
• Citizens who received votes may serve as reserve members.
• A Council member who becomes inactive or unavailable for a period of 90 days, shall be replaced by a the reserve member receiving the next highest votes.
• In the absence of reserve members, interim replacements may be appointed by the Council concerned.
• Any Council may propose a change of its size by an even number of members; this proposal shall be subject to a referendum held together with the next election.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 20 revise slight: in third point, "and" should be "and/or"; in eighth point, remove extra word "the" revise both Joe and Russell's good revise Joe's changes OK revise this is a horrible mess and needs complete rewriting -- probably into two or three articles revise Joe's changes okay; Period should be "90 days or more." Add to last point that "should the referendum pass, the new seats shall be filled immediately from the pool of reserve members." revise as per Joe, but not convinced the 90-days limit should be in the charter 20 Revise (6) }}

Article 21 (old 3738)

The Managing Editor shall be elected by simple majority. For this election, up to four candidates shall be selected by the Management Council, taken from a list of Editors nominated by the community.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 21 accept revise when is the ME elected? accept revise clarifications needed on procedure Revise There is no explanation of how the ME is elected. revise as per Howard and Russell 21 Revise (4) }}

Article 22 (old3839)

Constables shall be appointed by the Management Council

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 22 accept accept wording is fine and moving would be too. accept revise needs more specification -- eg about chief constable Revise move accept needs "." at end 22 Accept (4) }}

Article 23 (old3940)

The Ombudsman shall be nominated by the Combined Councils and appointed by majority Citizen vote.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 23 accept revise when is omb elected revise "Monitor" rather than "vet" revise the concept of combined councils has not been defined Revise move revise as per Matt 23 Revise (5) }}

Article 24 (old 22)

All official posts shall be subject to the following conditions:

1. All Citizens shall be elegible.
2. The term of office shall be two years, renewable. The term of any replacement shall end when the original term ends.
3. No Citizen may serve in two offices at the same time.
4. All officials shall continue to contribute as Citizens throughout their terms.
5. Each Council or official may appoint delegates to perform specific tasks for a specific period of time.
6. The responsibility for the actions of a delegate shall always remain with the appointing Council or official.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 24 revise Do we really want *all* Citizens to be eligible? Even those who join a few days before the election? I think they should be required to have been members for at least 90 days and to have contributed to the project -- either through working on an article or serving in an official role -- in the 90 days prior to the election. revise remove #4 "all officials have to contribute". what is contribute? Can Gareth Leng hold a position? does contribute mean edit? revise Agree with Joe. Also, by reference, etc., it needs to be clear "two offices" doesn't include Editor revise many problems here, needs discussion on precise terms and conditions Revise Clauses 5 and 6 should be moved to Article 30. revise as per Joe (though without 90-days rule) and Russell. Also: "eligible" 24 Revise (6) }}

Article 25 (old 35)

Elections and referenda shall be organized by the Managing Council and carried out by the Constabulary, qith the following conditions:

1. Sufficient time Two weeks shall be provided for nominations and for discussions of the issues brought about during the nomination period.
2. All Citizens in good standing — as defined by the Management Council —, regardless of status, shall be entitled to vote.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 25 revise retain "good standing" and define it as "not banned" revise remove good standing (even prisoners get to vote). replace vague sufficient time with 2 weeks. revise Prisoner votes get complex, but the point stands for non-banned citizens accept old version preferred accept Sp: qith --> with revise retain "good standing"; also add temporal limit like "every Citizen registered before the beginning of the nomination period (or vote), unless they lose their good standing before the end of the voting period." Also spelling: "qith" 25 Revise (4) }}

Article 26 (old 20)

All decision processes shall take place in a way that allows every interested Citizen to follow it and support it with feedback.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 26 accept with Matt's deletion delete not sure if that is the same as accept deletion accept deletion accept accept deletion revise feedback should be mentioned somewhere, but not necessarily in the charter; could go into interim guidance, though 26 Accept (5) }}

Article 27 (old 4041)

An official who seriously neglects the office may be recalled by two thirds vote of the Combined Councils. with exception of

1. the Managing Editor, who shall be recalled if both Councils demand it (separately), and
2. the Ombudsman, whose recall shall require a qualified majority of two thirds in a referendum.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 27 accept with Matt's changes accept changes remove strikout text reject -- most concerned about O being the representative of the Citizens,different from ME revise reject changes, but may need minor tweaking accept accept changes as per Matt 27 Accept (4) }}

Part IV: Community policy

Article 28 (old 23)

The Editorial Council is responsible for content and style policies. In particular, it shall

1. vet, coordinate, and supervise the Editors and their activities activities of Editors, and
2. encourage and supervise cooperation of Citizens in their effort to create, development and organization of the Citizendium's content.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 28 accept with Matt's changes; also see my note to article 30 accept changes remove strikout text and add bold text revise change/clarify "vet" revise minor changes needed in wording accept revise replace "vet" 28 Not Accepted (3 accept, 3 revise) }}

Article 29 (old 24)

The Management Council is responsible for the community's environment and its technical and economic resources. In particular, it shall:

1. nominate and supervise the activities of Constables,
2. manage technical matters (software and hardware), and
3. advise on matters of administration of financial and legal obligations of the Citizendium.
4. It shall also establish and maintain public awareness, and
5. invite and establish collaboration with external partners on any matters relevant to the project's mission.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 29 revise "environment" is unclear revise nominate or appoint constables - which is it? revise revise more precise wording and concepts needed revise "environment" must be defined; remove "and" in clause 2; Clause 3: advise who?; Clause 4: public awareness of what? revise as per Matt and Russell 29 Revise (6) }}

Article 30 (old 25)

Each Council shall

1. have a quorum corresponding to the simple majority of its members, and
2. develop written guidelines to define and explain methods of communicating with that particular Council,
3. consider any issue properly brought in front of it by any of its members or by a number of Citizens that meets its quorum.
4. In the Editorial Council, a number of members corresponding to the quorum shall be Editors while the rest of the members shall be Citizens who are not Editors.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 30 revise this article properly belongs above article 28, and point four belongs in article 28 revise this article just sux... so how many members does the EC have? revise too many ambiguities; needs rephrasing and tightening revise Move: should be before individual discussion of councils; Clause 2: does that mean "Each council is resonsible for writing its own by-laws?"; Clause 4 should be moved to Article 28. revise as per Joe and Russell 30 Revise (5) }}

Article 31 (old 26)

The Managing Editor has the following duties:

1. to ensure — by means of executive decisions — that the principles and policies of the Citizendium are effectively and coherently observed;such decisions shall be based on established policy unless required in the case of a policy deficit. They may be overruled by the appropriate Council.
2. to represent the Citizendium in its relations with external bodies, such as the mass media, and academic or non-academic institutions.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 31 accept revise should be clear that ME makes decisions about content (which constables can't do) reject Agree with Russell, although Clause 1 could apply to overlap with EC. Clause 2 would have to establish within MC policy, and allow for other representatives to be named case-by-case by the MC, or, as appropriate, EC revise check with original formulation -- things seem to be missing here revise Clause 1 sounds like the ME has power overlap with Constables; clause 2 sounds like power overlap with MC. Is this all that remains of the ME? Why have one? revise as per Russell, Howard, Matt 31 Revise (4) }}

Article 32 (old 36)

Citizens may demand that contested rules or guidelines are submitted to a referendum.

• A referendum may be initiated by a group of Citizens corresponding in size to the sum of the quorums of the two Councils.
• A referendum shall be decided by simple majority of the votes validly cast.
• Any amendment to and any change of this Charter shall require a referendum and shall be ratified if accepted by a qualified majority of two thirds of the votes validly cast.
• Creating any further office or special rôle shall require an excellent reason and a referendum.
• Any change of the license shall require a referendum.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 32 accept with Matt's changes, but I wonder if we should limit the ability of a group of Citizens to initiate a new referendum on a specific rule or guideline for a period of time after it has come up for a referendum. We don't want to allow the possibility that a same minority could continuously or repeatedly push an issue just to tire everyone out and get their way. revise when we get huge, it won't take much to create cabals that can force referendums infinitum accept Joe's point well taken revise this whole concept needs rethinking. Did we have this right in our draft submitted to Peter? revise The first two sentences contradict each other. A citizen may demand a referendum (sounds like a right) but this right is meaningless unless you've got a six or more like minded citizens. Uh, now that I think about it. the current quorum size for a referendum is 7. Seven citizens at this point can call a referendum. Joe's point is also important to consider revise as per Joe, Matt, Russell; what about coupling this to some function of the number of Citizens who made at least one edit during the month preceding the initiation of the referendum? 32 Revise (4) }}

Part V: Behavior and dispute resolution

Article 33 (old 27)

The Constabulary shall enforce the Citizendium's rules of behavior as determined and centrally documented by community policy, covering equally all Citizens including those with official positions. In particular, Constables

1. shall only intervene in matters of behavior but not in matters of content.
2. shall act with reasonable pragmatism and leniency, and only in those situations where this is clearly covered by existing rules.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 33 revise accept Matt's changes, and remove "but" from point one revise address Russell's points accpt revise this is vague; needs to vest responsibility in a Chief Constable and determine who or what makes the community policy reject there is no explanation of how that "community policy" is to be established. "where this is " Where what is? What is "this?" revise as per Russell 33 Revise (4) }}

Article 34 (old 28)

An Ombudsman shall assist in dispute resolution.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 34 accept accept accept revise needs to be merged with 35 Accept but see my next comment. The O has become powerless accept 34 Accept (5) }}

Article 35 (Old 29)

Whenever possible, disputes shall be settled informally at the lowest possible level. Specifically, the following shall apply:

1. Any party involved in a dispute may contact the Ombudsman for assistance in dispute resolution.
2. When a formal decision is necessary or demanded, the Ombudsman shall facilitate the presentation of the issue to the appropriate body.
3. The Management Council shall provide a formal mechanism of resolution that allows each disputant to fully and thoroughly present their relevant positions.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 35 accept accept revise or reject Russell makes good sense revise i agree with russell reject if not revise This says that the ONLY power of the O is to refer the matter to an appropriate body. I thought the O was to be more than a referral agency. If he/she is, then language should be here to describe the powers and actions that the O can take. revise as per Russell 35 Revise (4) }}

Article 36 (old 30)

Appeals of formal decisions shall be possible.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 36 accept accept accept accept accept accept 36 Accept as written }}

Article 37 (old 31)

Formal decisions will only be reviewed when a disputant can show an Appeals Board that either:

1. New information is available; or
2. A technical error was made during the previous formal procedure.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 37 accept accept accept delete merge with 36 accept accept 37 Accept (5) }}

Article 38 (old 32)

An Appeals Board shall consist of previously not directly involved Citizens, as follows:

1. one member nominated by the Editorial Council,
2. one member nominated by the Management Council, and
3. one member nominated by the Ombudsman.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 38 revise for clarity, the opening should read: "An Appeals Board shall consist of Citizens who were not previously directly involved, as follows:" revise per Joe and add to "not previously directly involved 'in the dispute'" reject More than 1 by EC and MC; prefer 3 but will accept 2 accept accept Joe's revision also acceptable accept 38 not accepted (3 accept, 2 revise, 1 reject) }}

Article 39 (old 33)

Successful Appeals will be allowed to re-enter the Management Council dispute resolution process, limiting the discourse to the new information or addressing the impact of the technical error in the previous procedure.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 39 accept with Matt's addition accept the appeal board just decides if there are grounds for appeal. An editorial issue needs to go back to the EC and a behavior issue goes back to the MC. We can't let the MC make an editorial decision. revise I don't understand it. Agree with Russell--why remand? delete this is already covered by existing procedure; why complicate things in this way? revise I think it means that the Appeals board may remand the case back to the MC for re-hearing. Why can't the appears board just make its own ruling? revise better to give them the right to rule on their own, rather than always having to pass things back 39 Not accepted (3 revise, 2 accept, 1 reject) }}

Article 40 (old 34)

Normally, dispute resolutions should be heard in public. However,

1. Participants may request that disputes be heard privately.
2. Privately heard disputes forfeit their right to appeal on technical grounds.
3. in exceptional cases, part of a dispute resolution process may be restricted to a smaller audience. Such an exception shall require public justification by the Ombudsman.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 40 accept accept open to Russell's revised phrase accept accept revise revise phrase "be restricted to a smaller audience" accept 40 Accept (5) }}

Part VI: Administrative matters

Article 41 (old 21)

All Citizens, including officials, shall be bound by the Charter, and no decision reached shall contravene it.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 41 accept revise No official decision shall contravene this charter. accept revise needs to acknowledge greater power of external laws revise "bound by THIS charter"; "decision reached" by whom? Is this intended to be a limit on the powers of the officials? It should say so. revise as per Russell 41 Revise (4) }}

Article 41 42

• As far as possible, special requirements of visually or otherwise impaired users and for responsibly exercised automated access shall be taken into account.
• The Managing Editor shall intervene against article content that is inappropriate, in particular, if content
  • violates criminal or civil law or
  • is discriminatory or slanderous against persons or groups of persons, on the basis of religion, religious belief, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender.
• Violations of the Charter shall only be tolerated when forced by external laws.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 42 accept with Matt's deletion accept with Matt's deletions revise Restore deletion about impaired users revise this is a pot-pourri of different things. they need to be separated out and places elsewhere, if they are desired revise Deletion okay; clauses dealing with ME should be moved to Article 31; Last sounds like a saving clause, if so, is should be more clearly stated. revise reject deletion 42 Revise (4) }}

Article 42 43

The Citizendium adopts CC-by-sa 3.0 Unported (original source) as the license for its own original collaborative content.The Citizendium Foundation reserves the right to upgrade the license version number (not the license) on behalf of contributors. The licensing of content incorporated from elsewhere shall follow the conditions of the respective originators.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 43 accept delete if we need to state the license in the charter revise Make it a generic "open source" license -- thinking of WP discussions accept revise I'm not persuaded that the license must be explicitly stated. Charter should give guidelines about acceptable licenses.; better not to state the exact license in the Charter, but to use a generic definition of "open", e.g. as per http://www.opendefinition.org/ : “A piece of knowledge is open if you are free to use, reuse, and redistribute it — subject only, at most, to the requirement to attribute and share-alike.” 43 Not accepted (3 revise, 2 accept, 1 reject) }}

Article 43 44

The Citizendium shall be owned and controlled by the Citizendium Foundation, a non-profit organization.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally accept revise to something true revise With trepidation since we don't know status of CF. Perhaps "the legal owner" or words to that effect if CF gets preempted? accept I dont know what to say on this issue REVISE Is the CF an official body? if so it should be mentioned in articles 17-19; if I sit on the CF can I sit on the MC? How is the CF elected? Who are they? what do they do? Because we're a website we have to have an owner so we have to have something like the CF. revise role of the CF needs to be clarified; shouldn't it better go to transition rules? What if it never gets founded? 44 Revise(4) }}

Article 44 45

The official language of the Citizendium shall be English. Branches of the Citizendium in other languages shall share the same mission as defined by this Charter. All language versions shall require approval by the Management Council.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 45 revise slightly: add "original" before the first instance of "Citizendium" revise what mission? accept accept accept revise Will branches have their own EC/MC? Can one sit at the EC of several branches? 45 Not Accepted (3 accept, 3 revise) }}

Part VII: Transitional Measures

Article 45 46

The community shall informally agree on a Citizen who is charged with organizing the ratification process and the initial elections until the Councils are installed.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 46 accept revise agree with Russell, we will need to officially delegate that power accept accept revise "Informally agree?" that'll take forever. How about Chief Constable or Secretary of EC? revise needs to be formal 46 Not Accepted (3 accept, 3 revise) }}

Article 45 47

For the purpose of the ratification of this Charter and the initial elections to the Councils, all Citizens with an account that is not blocked shall have the right to vote.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 47 accept accept accept accept accept revise all Citizens registered before the announcement of the voting period on ratification 47 Accept (5) }}

Article 46 48

This Charter shall be ratified if accepted by two thirds or more of the votes validly cast in a referendum for this purpose. The Charter shall enter into force on the day following its ratification.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 48 accept accept accept accept accept accept 48 Accept (6) }}

Article 46 49

The Editor-in-Chief shall officially certify the ratified Charter within a week after the closing of the referendum. This act ends his term of office.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 49 accept reject lets face it, larry can stop it anytime he wants accept accept reject But then what if Larry doesn't; i'm not ever sure why this is here; Larry doesn't need to approve anything (well, except that it's still his website). accept I think it is better to have such an official end to his role; we should make sure, though, that he hands over all info on financial and server matters; something for interim guidance? 49 Accept (4) }}

Article 47 50

The former Editor-in-Chief Larry Sanger shall be awarded with the title Founding Editor-in-Chief in acknowledgement of his achievements for the Citizendium. (suggested in [1])

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 50 revise slightly: add "honorary" before the word "title" revise per Joe. again, larry can pull the plug anytime he wants accept accept revise accept Joe's change; do we need to be explicit that the honorary title Editor in chief carries no powers or duties? revise as per Joe 50 Revise (4) }}

Article 48 51

The first elections to the Councils shall take place as soon as possible after the Charter has been ratified.

1. The initial size of the Editorial Council shall be 7 members, that of the Management Council 5 members.
2. A number of members corresponding to the quorum shall be selected, by lot or personal agreement, to serve shortened terms until the next regular election that is at least half a year after the initial election.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 51 accept accept accept accept accept Accept accept 51 Accept as written }}

Article 50 52

• Within a month after the entry into force of this Charter, all existing pseudonym accounts shall be closed by the Constabulary, and the respective user pages protected; the Citizens concerned may renew registration under their real names.

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally 52 reject I still believe there are good reasons to allow pseudonyms, so long as one or more responsible officials are made aware of them in case of disputes reject per Joe accept accept accept accept 52 Accept (4, with 2 reject) }}

MATERIAL THAT SEEMS MERELY TO BE LISTED AT THE END (!!)

Addendum: Interim guidance for the transition period

Discussion as per Charter Vote Spreadsheet {{ Article Joe vote Joe comment Matt vote Matt comment Howard vote Howard comment Martin vote Martin comment Russell vote Russell comment Daniel vote Daniel comment Article Tally Addendum reject Leave it out and post it as recommendations by one or more of the committee members on a separate page associated with the charter drafting cluster. Add an article under Part VII that states that Councils shall review current/previous policies and procedures for accordance with the charter and provide a link to our suggestions reject agree with Joe. if there are good powers and duties they should be moved now delete contents can be included in a memorandum attached to hte charter Keep some of this. A lot of the powers and duties got moved here. revise as per Russell 53 Not Accepted (3 reject, 2 revise) }}

• As long as the administrative prerequisites for implementing the Charter are not entirely fulfilled, the rules listed in this section shall provide interim guidance to the Editorial Council, Management Council, and other bodies.
• Such material may be modified by those bodies by their normal procedures, without a full Charter amendment.

Review of previous policies

• The Councils shall review all existing policies and vote on each of them which falls under their realm, in view of complementing the general guidelines in this Charter with an evolving set of specific policy guidelines.
• The Editorial Council shall review the current list of Editors.
• The Management Council shall review
  • privacy policies, including access by search engines, and
  • policy on licensing and republication of user and talk pages.

Constabulary

• Constabulary tools include: advice and instruction on wiki or through Citizen email, removal of offensive text, and warning and banning of users.

Languages

• The Management Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on handling the establishment of branches in languages other than English.

Administration

• The Management Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on handling the legal, financial, and technical operations necessary for the project to fulfill its mission.

External partnerships

The Management Council shall develop and implement at its earliest convenience a policy for

• interested external observers to provide feedback on Citizendium content in a manner convenient for them and the project.
• collaboration with external partners, paying particular attention to fostering the collaboration with instructors by way of Eduzendium, and with external experts or professional organizations for the purposes of providing or reviewing content at Citizendium.

Research and teaching

• The Editorial Council shall elaborate a strategy and policy on incorporation of teaching and research into Citizendium.
• Research results that have not been formally published should be clearly labeled as such. So should articles that have been part of student coursework.

Registration of new Editors

To streamline the CZ:Editor Application Review Procedure, applications for Editorship shall be processed in two consecutive steps:

• All verified Editor applicants shall initially be registered as Citizens, enabling them to start contributing while the application is being reviewed.
• The application for Editorship shall be reviewed by the Editorial Personnel Administrators (to be appointed by the Editorial Council) who shall strive to make a decision within one week.

Comments

Article 7 1 & 2 should have semicolons at the end to conform with 3 and other parts of the document.

There should be no hyphen in 'poorly presented'.

Article 13 is not ready, I take it.

yes.

Article 17 Prefer 'offices' to 'official positions', to include collectives (as in the heading). Or perhaps 'official positions/bodies' - or maybe best to stay as is, hmmm...

Article 20 'calender year' > 'calendar year'.

Article 29 Again, for consistency, semicolons should replace the commas.

Article 30 Again, 2, 3, 4 need semicolons.

Article 31 More of the same.

Article 35 A colon would be better after 'body'.

Used an mdash.

Article 39 Lowercase 'it' after 'decisions:'.

...54

numbering is provisional anyway

'