Suggested essays

Editing Ethical Management of the English Language Wikipedia/Suggested essays

The following are suggested essay subjects. What makes for a good essay subject in this project is something that is revealing concerning ethical management of the English language Wikipedia, but yet has no clear cut "answer". If it did, then we should not tease you by not simply giving you the answer. So, the first clue to writing an essay on any of these suggested topics is that there is no right answer.

Who founded Wikipedia?

Clues:

1. Define "founded" and "wikipedia" and what counts as a "who".
2. Ask what is more important: a general idea, a specific idea, implementing an idea, paying for the implementing of an idea, or something else?
3. Is the "real" father the one who one who raised you or your biological father or both?
4. What ethical issues do you encounter while researching this question?

Suggested google possibilities:

• Jimbo Wales,
• Larry Sanger,
• Bomis,
• Richard Stallman,
• Clifford Adams,
• Magnus Manske,
• Lee Daniel Crocker,
• Ward Cunningham,
• volunteers around the world.

Further reading:

What can governance models teach us about the ethical management of Wikipedia?

Clues:

1. How many distinct governance models do you know about?
2. Can you recognize which governance model is in operation at any given juncture in an online community?
3. What are the ethical issues associated with any given governance model?

Suggested google possibilities:

• Monarchy
• Oligarchy
• Hierarchy
• Republic
• Democracy
• Ochlocracy
• Anarchy

Further reading:

How would you change this project?

Clues:

1. What further reading material can you suggest? Where would you put it?
2. What additional learning resources would be good? Why? What would you title it?
3. What here would you recommend others read? Why?
4. What here would you recommend be altered? How?

Suggested google possibilities:

Further reading:

What is a good way to balance ethics and pragmatism?

Clues:

Suggested google possibilities:

Further reading:

Under what conditions should a Wikipedia admin lose their adminship?

Clues:

1. Do you believe in a limited term in office?
2. Should consensus rule on this? How should that consensus be identified?
3. What is the current practice?
4. What proposed practices have been suggested?

Suggested google possibilities:

Further reading: