General Wikipedia questions: You will probably be satisfied by contacting the help desk. Remember, if you're with the press, please follow the instructions above.
Complaints: The best thing to do if you have a complaint is to start with the help desk. Ask a short, friendly question and fellow Wikipedians will be happy to help you. Contacting me directly with a complaint should be reserved for after you have exhausted all other remedies.
If you have a complaint about article content, there are several avenues to pursue. The best and simplest way is to fix it. You can also open a discussion on the article's talk page regarding the issues which you want to address. Be sure that you are adding well-written text using legitimate information from credible, reliable sources. If your change gets reverted, continue the discussion on the article talk page to get consensus. That is how Wikipedia works.
Other inquiries of any kind can be sent by e-mail to jwales
wikia.com. (Press inquiries by e-mail are also welcome.)
Statement of principles
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As we move forward with software and social changes, I think it is imperative that I state clearly and forcefully my views on openness and licensure. This page, like all Wikipedia pages, is a living dynamic document, which the community and I will update and clarify as legitimate questions arise.
I should point out that these are my principles, such that I am the final judge of them. This does not mean that I will not listen to you, but it does mean that at some ultimate fundamental level, this is how Wikipedia will be run.
(But have no fear, as you will see below.)
Wikipedia's success to date is entirely a function of our open community. This community will continue to live and breathe and grow only so long as those of us who participate in it continue to Do the Right Thing. Doing the Right Thing takes many forms, but perhaps most central is the preservation of our shared vision for the NPOV and for a culture of thoughtful, diplomatic honesty.
Newcomers are always to be welcomed. There must be no cabal, no elite, and no hierarchy or structure to get in the way of this openness to newcomers. Any security measures to be implemented to protect the community against real vandals (and there are real vandals, who do occasionally affect us), should be implemented on the model of "strict scrutiny."
"Strict scrutiny" means that any measures instituted for security must address a compelling community interest, and must be narrowly tailored to achieve that objective and no other.
For example: rather than trust humans to identify "regulars" correctly, we must use a simple, transparent, and open algorithm, so that people are automatically given full privileges once they have been around the community for a very short period of time. The process should be virtually invisible for newcomers, so that they do not have to do anything to start contributing to the community.
"You can edit this page right now" is a core guiding check on everything that we do. We must respect this principle as sacred.
Any changes to the software must be gradual and reversible. We need to make sure that any changes contribute positively to the community, as ultimately determined by everybody in Wikipedia, in full consultation with the community consensus.
The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License and GNU Free Documentation License, the openness and viral nature of them, are fundamental to the long-term success of the site. Anyone who wants to use our content in a closed, proprietary manner must be challenged. We must adhere very strictly to both the letter and spirit of the licenses.
The mailing list will remain open, well-advertised, and will be regarded as the place for meta-discussions about the nature of Wikipedia. Very limited meta-discussion of the nature of Wikipedia should be placed on the site itself. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. The topic of Wikipedia articles should always look outward, not inward at the Wikipedia itself.
Anyone with a complaint should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. A person with a complaint should be encouraged constantly to present problems in a constructive way in the open forum of the mailing list. Anyone who just complains without foundation, refusing to join the discussion, I am afraid I must simply reject and ignore. Consensus is a partnership between interested parties working positively for a common goal. I must not let the "squeaky wheel" be greased just for being a jerk.
Diplomacy consists of combining honesty and politeness. Both are objectively valuable moral principles. Be honest with me, but don't be mean to me. Don't misrepresent my views for your own political ends.
The original version of this statement of principles was first published on Wikipedia on 27 October 2001.
