User:Christine Bush/PseudonymPolicy: Difference between revisions
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imported>Christine Bush (→Why Citizendium Needs to Modify Our Real Names Policy: Modified text re: indiscriminate applications.) |
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#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. | #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 '''indiscriminate''' and, in some | #A real names policy is '''indiscriminate''' and, in some cases, '''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 but also discriminates against reputable, established authors, entertainers, journalists, or bloggers using a pseudonym. | ||
#'''There are benefits''' to using pseudonyms, including the ability to leverage established virtual identities on other platforms.<ref name="York">[http://www.disruptiveconversations.com/2011/08/why-the-nym-wars-matter-preserving-pseudonymity-on-an-open-internet.html Why The Nym Wars Matter] by Dan York</ref> | #'''There are benefits''' to using pseudonyms, including the ability to leverage established virtual identities on other platforms.<ref name="York">[http://www.disruptiveconversations.com/2011/08/why-the-nym-wars-matter-preserving-pseudonymity-on-an-open-internet.html Why The Nym Wars Matter] by Dan York</ref> | ||
#A pseudonymic policy '''does not prevent contributors from using their real names''' if they choose to do so. | #A pseudonymic policy '''does not prevent contributors from using their real names''' if they choose to do so. | ||
Revision as of 20:02, 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 indiscriminate and, in some cases, 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 but also discriminates against reputable, established authors, entertainers, journalists, or bloggers using a pseudonym.
- There are benefits to using pseudonyms, including the ability to leverage established virtual identities on other platforms.[3]
- A pseudonymic policy does not prevent contributors from using their real names if they choose to do so.
- The proposition that knowledge with a provenance is somehow more valuable is very difficult to defend.
More Sources
- On Pseudonymity, Privacy and Responsibility on Google+ by Kevin Hinckley (also via The Wayback Machine).