Tachyony: Imported page

2021-12-06T16:59:26Z

Imported page

New page

{{Short description|Wikipedia guideline}}
{{redirect|WP:CAN|the Wikiproject about Canada|Wikipedia:WikiProject Canada|the Wikiproject about Canberra|Wikipedia:WikiProject Canberra|canned edit summaries|Wikipedia:Canned edit summaries}}
{{For|external advertising in article space|Wikipedia:Spam}}
{{Distinguish|Wikipedia:Forum shopping}}
{{subcat guideline|behavioral guideline|Canvassing|WP:CANVASS}}
{{nutshell|When notifying other editors of discussions, keep the number of notifications small, keep the message text neutral, and don't preselect recipients according to their established opinions. Be open!}}

In general, it is perfectly acceptable to notify other editors of ongoing discussions, provided that it be done with the intent to improve the quality of the discussion by broadening participation to more fully achieve [[WP:CON|consensus]].

'''[[Canvassing]]''' is notification done with the intention of influencing the outcome of a discussion in a particular way, and is considered inappropriate. This is because it compromises the normal [[consensus decision-making]] process, and therefore is generally considered [[WP:Disruptive editing|disruptive]] behavior.

==Appropriate notification<span id="Friendly notices"></span>==
{{Shortcut|WP:APPNOTE}}
An editor who may wish to draw a wider range of informed, but uninvolved, editors to a discussion can place a message at any of the following:
*The talk page or noticeboard of one or more [[Wikipedia:WikiProject|WikiProjects]] or other [[Wikipedia:Collaborations|Wikipedia collaborations]] which may have interest in the topic under discussion.
* A [[Wikipedia:Centralized discussion|central location]] (such as the [[Wikipedia:Village pump|Village pump]] or other relevant [[Wikipedia:Noticeboards|noticeboards]]) for discussions that have a wider impact such as [[Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines|policy or guideline]] discussions.
* The talk page of one or more directly related [[Wikipedia:What is an article?|articles]].
* On the talk pages of a user mentioned in the discussion (particularly if the discussion concerns complaints about user behavior).
* On the [[WP:UP|user talk]] pages of concerned editors. Examples include:
** Editors who have made substantial edits to the topic or article
** Editors who have participated in previous discussions on the same topic (or closely related topics)
** Editors known for expertise in the field
** Editors who have asked to be kept informed

The audience must not be selected on the basis of their opinions—for example, if notices are sent to editors who previously supported deleting an article, then identical notices should be sent to those who supported keeping it. Do not send notices to too many users, and do not send messages to users who have asked not to receive them.

Notifications must be [[Wikipedia:Wikiquette|polite]], neutrally worded with a neutral title, clear in presentation, and brief—the user can always find out more by clicking on the link to the discussion. Do not use a [[WP:bot|bot]] to send messages to multiple pages. The {{tl|Please see}} template may help in notifying people in a quick, simple, and neutral manner.

Note: It is good practice to leave a note at the discussion itself about notifications which have been made, particularly if made to individual users.

==Inappropriate notification==
{{Template:Canvassing table}}

Inappropriate notification is generally considered to be disruptive. Canvassing normally involves the posting of messages. However, it may also include other kinds of solicitation, such as a custom signature to automatically append some promotional message to every signed post.

The following behaviors are regarded as characteristic of inappropriate notification (and may be seen as disruptive):
*'''Spamming''': Posting an excessive number of messages to individual users, or to users with no significant connection to the topic at hand.<ref>In 2005, the Arbitration Committee ruled that "[t]he occasional light use of cross-posting to talk pages is part of Wikipedia's common practice. \ However, excessive cross-posting goes against current Wikipedia community norms. In a broader context, it is "unwiki." See [[Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/IZAK#Principles]].</ref>
*'''Campaigning''': Posting a notification of discussion that presents the topic in a non-neutral manner.
*'''Vote-stacking''': Posting messages to users selected based on their known opinions (which may be made known by a [[Wikipedia:Userboxes|userbox]], [[Wikipedia:User categories|user category]], or prior statement).<ref>See [[WP:False consensus]] for a series of findings by the Arbitration Committee concerning vote-stacking and improper CANVASS</ref> [[Votebank|Vote-banking]] involves recruiting editors perceived as having a common viewpoint for a [[:Category:Wikipedia collaborations|group]], similar to a political party, in the expectation that notifying the group of any discussion related to that viewpoint will result in a numerical advantage, much as a form of prearranged vote stacking.
*'''Stealth canvassing''': Contacting users off-wiki (by e-mail or [[WP:IRC|IRC]], for example) to persuade them to join in discussions (unless there is a specific reason not to use talk pages)
*Soliciting support other than by posting direct messages, such as using a custom signature with a message promoting a specific position on any issue being discussed.

Below are brief explanations of the most common types of inappropriate notification:

===Spamming and excessive cross-posting<span id="Excessive cross-posting"></span>===
Indiscriminately sending announcements to editors can be disruptive for any number of reasons. If the editors are uninvolved, the message has the function of "spam" and is disruptive to that user's experience. More importantly, recruiting too many editors to a [[WP:dispute resolution|dispute resolution]] can often make resolving the dispute impossible. Remember the purpose of a notification is to improve the dispute resolution process, not to disrupt it.

The inclusion of links to discussions, including featured content nominations, in signatures has been found to be disruptive spamming.<ref>See the discussion at [[Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Archive262#Linking to discussions in signatures]].</ref>

===Campaigning===
[[Campaign advertising|Campaigning]] is an attempt to sway the person reading the message, conveyed through the use of tone, wording, or intent. While this may be appropriate as part of a specific individual discussion, it is inappropriate to canvass with such messages.

===Votestacking===
{{Shortcut|WP:VOTESTACK|WP:VOTESTACKING}}
{{Redirect|WP:VOTESTACKING|the inactive page about survey notification|Wikipedia:Survey notification}}

Votestacking is an attempt to sway consensus by selectively notifying editors who have or are thought to have a predetermined point of view or opinion (which may be determined, among other ways, from a userpage notice, such as a [[Wikipedia:Userboxes|userbox]], or from [[Wikipedia:User categories|user categorization]]), and thus encouraging them to participate in the discussion.

In the case of a re-consideration of a previous debate (such as a "no consensus" result on an RFC, AFD or CFD), it is similarly inappropriate to send a disproportionate number of notifications specifically to those who expressed a particular viewpoint on the previous debate.

Posting an [[#Appropriate notification|appropriate notice]] on users' talk pages in order to inform editors on all "sides" of a debate (e.g., everyone who participated in a previous deletion debate on a given subject) may be appropriate under certain circumstances.

===Stealth canvassing===
{{shortcut|WP:STEALTH}}
Because it is less transparent than on-wiki notifications, the use of email or other off-wiki communication to notify editors is discouraged unless there is a significant reason for not using talk page notifications. Depending on the specific circumstances, sending a notification to a group of editors by email may be looked at more negatively than sending the same message to the same group of people on their talk pages.

==How to respond to canvassing==
The most effective response to quite recent, clearly disruptive canvassing is to politely request that the user(s) responsible for the canvassing stop posting notices, possibly using <code><nowiki>{{</nowiki>subst:[[Template:Uw-canvass|Uw-canvass]]<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code> on their talk page. If they continue, they may be reported to the [[WP:ANI|administrators' noticeboard for incidents]], which may result in their being [[WP:BLOCK|blocked]] from editing. Users with a prior history of disruptive canvassing, which they have previously been asked to discontinue, may be blocked immediately without further warning.

==Other forms of inappropriate consensus-building==
For other types of action which are inappropriate in the consensus-building process, see the [[WP:Consensus|policy on consensus]]. Apart from canvassing, these include [[WP:FORUMSHOP|forum shopping]] (raising an issue on successive discussion pages until you get the result you want), [[WP:SOCK|sock puppetry]] and [[WP:MEATPUPPET|meat puppetry]] (bringing fictional or real outside participants into the discussion to create a false impression of support for your viewpoint), and [[WP:tendentious editing|tendentious editing]].

==Templates==
*[[Template:Uw-canvass]], warning for user talk pages
*[[Template:CANVASWARNING]], article talk page message, based on canvassing activity soliciting feedback from established accounts
*[[Template:Recruiting]], article talk page message, based on sockpuppet activity
*[[Template:Not a ballot]], for use on discussion pages
*[[Template:Canvassed]], for use in a discussion, to express concern that a specific user was canvassed to the discussion
*[[Template:Spa]], for use in a discussion, to inform other editors that a given user has made few edits outside of this discussion. See [[Wikipedia:Single-purpose account]] for more details on proper use of this template.

==See also==
{{Wikipedia glossary}}
* {{Section link|Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|After nominating: Notify interested projects and editors}}
* [[Wikipedia:Cabals]]
* [[Wikipedia:Forum shop]]
* [[Wikipedia:Griefing]]
* [[Wikipedia:Mass message senders]]
* [[Wikipedia:Publicising discussions]]
* [[Wikipedia:Tag team]]
* [[Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Democracy]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Wikipedia project content guidelines]]

Wikipedia:Canvassing - Revision history

Tachyony: Imported page