Appropedia operates less by imposing strict rules, and more by encouraging voluntary guidelines which you can choose to follow. We believe that only a couple of strict rules are necessary, relating to how we treat others, and how we use the work of others.
You might see people doing things that are plainly not in accordance with these guidelines. Keep in mind that they may or may not still be well within the actual Appropedia policies and guidelines, and therefore, we encourage you to apply the be gracious guideline in those situations.
Code of conduct[edit | edit source]
To ensure a positive and respectful community, we have some rules in place that are adapted from Wikipedia's Ruleset. While Wikipedia has transitioned most of its rules into guidelines, we have decided to maintain some strict rules due to the unique non-encyclopedic nature of Appropedia. Let's look at these rules and understand why they are important.
- No personal attacks. We believe in maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment. So, please refrain from making personal attacks on other users. Even if you strongly disagree or find someone's actions frustrating, expressing your concerns constructively is essential. Instead of resorting to insults or derogatory language, explain what went wrong, why it's incorrect, and provide guidance on rectifying the situation. If possible, you can even take the initiative to fix the issue yourself, but remember to refer to the guidelines above.
- Respect intellectual property. Appropedia promotes content sharing under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license. It's crucial to respect the copyrights of others and ensure that your contributions and usage of the content on Appropedia align with the licenses of the works already present on the platform. This includes text, images, and any other forms of content. So, before adding or using content, make sure it is compatible with the licenses in place. By doing so, we foster a culture of collaboration and uphold the principles of fair use.
- Be civil at all times; let's strive to treat fellow users with kindness and respect. While debates may sometimes become intense or passionate, it's important to remember that there's a person behind every username. Even if you believe someone is mistaken, maintain a civil and courteous attitude. We value healthy discussions and encourage you to focus on shared ideas rather than attacking individuals. By embracing this principle, we create an environment conducive to collaboration and mutual understanding.
- Be cooperative and helpful. Collaboration and helpfulness are the cornerstones of the Appropedia community. We strive for high cooperation, supporting one another in our shared mission. While this principle is expected in the world of wikis, it holds even greater significance here.
Content creation[edit | edit source]
- Rigor. Our aim is to be factual, so evidence, analysis and science are encouraged. Evidence may include in-the-field experience, backed up by the agreement of other editors, but can also include the results of research and analysis.
- Neutral point of view (NPOV). Appropedia is supportive of appropriate technology and sustainable development, and we recognize articles will usually be written from a point of view that is sympathetic to these concepts. We encourage you to follow our content and format suggestions to know how to best express your personal point of view. Appropedia encourages the application of a NPOV depending on the type of content. For example:
- "How to" pages, for example, are usually easy to write from a NPOV by contributing information about different ways to do something.
- Project pages are usually written from a NPOV, but may have sections where the opinions of the creators are stated.
- Organization pages can benefit from having a NPOV to inform others and let them make their own decisions.
- Particularly, User pages are reasonable places to express opinions from a personal perspective.
- Follow Naming conventions. In short:
- Don't use capital letters, except for the very first letter (and that's automatic, anyway); except for proper names (people, places, organizations).
- For a project, use a specific name, e.g. Jodie Doe's water filter, not just Water filter.
Original content[edit | edit source]
Appropedia allows, welcomes and already hosts great amounts of original research. This is one of the main differences between Appropedia and Wikipedia.
While scientific rigor is encouraged, readers are advised that articles are generally not peer reviewed. However, Appropedia has been shown to be a useful platform for open source research in sustainability.
Some (but not all) types of original content on Appropedia are:
Appropedia also allows and welcomes content that is not original research. Some (but not all) types of content that do not constitute original research are:
What Appropedia is not[edit | edit source]
Appropedia is a wiki to document personal and organizational experiences and ideas to solve planetary issues. This page outlines some key aspects of what Appropedia does in this regard, and how we differ from other platforms.
