Forum:Replacing wiki general policies

I'd like to propose that we make a change to our current General Policies. I'm proposing these changes for several reasons; 1- current policies governing users are scattered across multiple pages on the wiki, 2- The language on General Policies is outdated, and often not specific enough to serve as a good rule for users, 3- The current policies often list penalties for rule breaking, where these penalties are often not enforced; if they were followed as written, it would bind the administrators to a specific outcome when it might not be proper to do so.

I've written up a proposed policy version which I would like to suggest we adopt. I tried to closely follow current policies, while also including some rules which are currently included in Guidelines. I chose to include some "guidelines" because they have been enforced as rules in the past, and as such should be included in a list of actual rules.

The main goal here, for me, is to come up with a definitive list of rules that govern all users, and to have that list of rules on a single page that can be linked to and referenced. There are other policies which govern the creation and management of content, and those should remain separate from the policies which govern user behavior, but our current setup has user-directed policies in different places. Ultimately I think bringing all the user-oriented policies together will make it easier to enforce them, easier for users to find and understand, and will ultimately make things a whole lot better.

With all that said, I'm open to any questions, or suggested changes to what I've written, or to any discussion or thoughts you may have. Fire away. --  LostInRiverview talk ~ blog 22:46, September 20, 2013 (UTC)