Submissions/The perfect policy proposal

This is a withdrawn submission for Wikimania 2013.

Submission no.: 3012

This proposal is withdrawn. The proposer's attendence was dependent on receiving a scholarship, which has been denied. Sorry, maybe next year! Beeblebrox (talk) 18:21, 7 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Title of the submission: The Perfect Policy Proposal

Type of submission: probably a presentation, however if I can line up a specific proposal in advance it could be workshopped

Author of the submission: User:Beeblebrox

Country of origin: USA/Alaska

Affiliation

Username: User:Beeblebrox

Personal homepage or blog: Basic idea is outlined already at User:Beeblebrox/The_perfect_policy_proposal

Abstract: Changing things on any big project is not easy, and often the effort fails because the person making the proposal failed to anticipate certain problems. I am that person. Learn from what I have done wrong, and once in a while right, in some of the biggest policy debates of the last few years on the English Wikipedia. You don't have to be crazy to make a big policy proposal, but it helps.

Detailed proposal: Small changes to limited areas of a project are fairly routine, but the big changes take work, determination, time, and possibly your sanity. You may not be ready for how seriously people take this stuff if there is a big change or a divisive issue to discuss. Everything, from the way you phrased the proposal to the way the discussion is formatted, will be scrutinized and criticized. There is a lot that may not be obvious that you need to consider before you even begin, like if life might be easier of you just forget you wanted to change anything anyway. As the principal architect of some of the most widely attended and most contentious policy discussions on en.Wikipedia in the last few years I offer my insights on how to avoid the most common pitfalls when trying to affect a big change on a big project. These insights were earned through making a lot of mistakes, but also through whethering the storms of accusations of bad faith, megalomania, idiocy, and so forth. From clueless newbies to crusty old admins to good old fashioned trolls, you need to know how to deal with them all if you want your proposal to succeed. I have had amazing successes, spectacular failures, and some in between. Learn how to craft your proposal, what to do before you present it to the community, and how to act (or not) while it is being discussed. I made these mistakes so you don't have to.

Track

WikiCulture and Community

Length of presentation/talk: 25 Minutes

Language of presentation/talk: English

Will you attend Wikimania if your submission is not accepted?: yes, dependent on scholarship

Slides or further information (optional): Already have an essay on this topic at [1]. Will prepare on-wiki presentation if submission is accepted

Special requests: Front-row-seating reserved for those who show up wearing tinfoil hats

Interested attendees

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WereSpielChequers (talk) 11:40, 25 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Beeblebrox would be an excellent person to speak on this topic. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:51, 1 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Risker (talk) 21:55, 3 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Sounds interesting. Nice job with the wording of the proposal. --Waldir (talk) 23:31, 11 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]