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Wikipedia:Lectures/lecture2-questions

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We'll be talking about

User:Filll/AGF Challenge

How do you go about solving situations like this?

Start by formulating an initial position:


Try to answer the following questions:

  1. The action you would like to take , and a personal reason why you are in support of that action.
    • what's your gut feeling
    • who is involved
    • what needs to be attained
    • what's the best outcome for the encyclopedia?
    • how can that outcome be attained?
  2. What would theoretically needs to be said or done to make you reverse that position, or where you would be willing to compromise
    • where might there be flaws in your reasoning
    • what could you give up on and still (mostly) achieve your goal?
  3. A reason why you think others (will) support that position (ie, why is this likely to gain consensus).
    • What policies, guidelines or essays have there been written? What direction do they tend to point to?
    • Who is involved? What are their opinions? (read talk pages, and see if you can find previous statements)
    • How will they respond to your tentative action?
    • Can you modify your action to make that response more favorable?
  4. What likely would need to be said or done to reverse the position of the community. , or where the community might be willing to compromise
    • What flaws are there in other people's reasoning?
    • what could they give up on and still (mostly) achive their goal?


If you are an admin, or BOLD editor, or what have you...
  • write on the talk page:
    • what you are doing
    • where you'd be willing to compromise
    • why you think everyone will support it
    • where you hope people will compromise with you
  • Immediately take the best course of action you decided on.
  • Make a short edit summary which states what the action was

Now you can continue using WP:BRD

if you are a mediator
  • Keep your initial position to yourself. You are neutral, so it's not your position you are trying to push.
  • find the key people involved
  • ask each person about their position
  • now modify your initial position based on what you have learned
  • present your modified position to each person in turn, negotiate and find a new modified position.
  • continue until the modified position settles down and doesn't change much anymore.
  • then continue as above for admin or bold editor.