Wikiversity:Talkpage policy

You can help develop this proposal, share your thoughts, or discuss its adoption as a Wikiversity policy, guideline, or process. References or links should describe this page as a "proposal".

What may talk pages be used for?

Resources (mainspace)

Talkpages are not for general chatter, please keep discussions on talk pages on the topic of how to improve the associated resources, or on the topic of the resource; discussion is one of the methods by which Wikiversitans learn. If a discussion of the topic is to be undertaken, it may be better to set up a discussion subpage.

User talk pages

Most editors treat their user talk pages like regular talk pages, and archive the discussion periodically to a personal subpage if the page gets large.

Wikiversity allows user wide latitude in their own user space.

However, Do not violate any Wikimedia Foundation policies (e.g privacy policy) and use your personal talkpage as a personal blog (or) web-host. You may, for educational purposes, create a subpage in your user space as a blog, but not all Wikiversitans may support this, and if the content is considered disruptive, it might be deleted.

Your personal talk-page (i.e., User talk:Username) is primarily used for direct communication between editors, you may decorate your userpage or talk-page as you see fit but be aware that these talk-pages are for communication between Wikiversitans, and excessive use of talk page for personal communication may complicate Wikiversity maintenance. Consider using email, and consider creating educational resources on the topics you wish to discuss. Ask for help from an experienced Wikiversitan if in doubt.

May I manage my own user space?

Generally, users may act as if administrators in their own user space, and custodians will normally respect and support this. Do not revert war with a user in their own user space. Users may generally blank any content in their user space, including Talk page notices, etc. (If a user blanks a notice, the user is considered to have seen it.

User page bans

A user may request that another user not edit their talk page, by notice on the talk page of the other user, who is then, for this section's purpose, a "banned user." Such requests should normally be respected. However, the following exceptions may exist:

• A "banned user" may add a link to a process, where normal site practice is to notify a user. This avoids the make-work of the banned user needing to obtain another user to place the notice. Abuse of this by the placing of frequent notices to abusively created process may be sanctioned. Such notices may be removed without comment. They should not include any argument, accusations, or other contentious material and should be neutrally worded.

• Site maintenance can involve correcting links to moved pages. Edits which are only such corrections, not disruptive in themselves, do not violate a "talk page ban," again, unless a pattern of abuse appears.

• A custodian who might otherwise block the user may warn the user in lieu of block, even if page banned. (Such a custodian may be under an obligation to recuse, if possible; however, site realities may require action-while-involved, and this would then be subject to recusal policy, which generally requires community notice.)

Other limitations

Do not alter the comments of other users, absent their consent. A user may remove comment on their own talk page, but may not edit it contentiously, unless otherwise necessary by site policy. For example, a user may redact a real name in a comment, and request revision deletion so that the name is not visible in history.

Similarly, do not contentiously change the context of a comment, by altering the section header it was placed under; however, a section may be promoted or demoted if the context remains visible. Comments may, instead, be blanked entirely, or moved to subpages or archives, or other, more appropriate pages, if the original context is preserved. (Original context of a comment should be shown with a link.)

Disputes?

If you are having a disagreement or a problem with someone's behavior, please read the Wikipedia advice. It is normally possible to resolve Wikiversity disputes without blocking. Be patient, Wikiversity is also a wiki, and process turnaround is commonly in excess of a week. Ask an experienced user for assistance, and to obtain immediate custodian assistance, you may post a request on Wikiversity:Request custodian action. However, that should not be the first move, for dispute resolution should begin with direct negotiation, assuming and practicing good faith, and then should escalate by, where needed, involving a neutral user to mediate. Unless there is an emergency, requesting direct custodian intervention can be disruptive. Informal community advice may be sought on Wikiversity:Colloquium. Long-term disputes may require a Wikiversity:Community review. This is rare.

Office actions

The Wikimedia Foundation has direct legal authority and responsibility for all Wikimedia Foundation wikis, including Wikiversity, and may address threats to the welfare of the projects or users, with office actions. If visible (not all office actions are public), the action will generally be by m:User:WMF Office.

Stewards also address overall project welfare, as representatives of the community. These actions will appear in the username of the steward. For a list of stewards, see [1].