Simplify, Objectify and Stabilize Policies and Guidelines

Fragment of a discussion from Talk:May 2011 Update

I agree that very many on Wikipedia do not understand basic policies. I would say that this is mainly because:

  • People do not want to follow policy, but they want to do what they want to do. They read up on policy only to bolster their position (and then cite selectively).
  • Policy pages are hidden. If you start at the beginning (About Wikipedia) you are not going to find anything about Wikipedia policy, but just the sale pitch. Even digging further (at Five pillars) will find only hints at policy. Then there are all the separate 'policy' pages of Wikiprojects that override central policies, further hiding actual policies. Users will find policy pages only when these are pointed out or when they search persistently.

Some good may come of rewriting. Both NOR and NOT are really superfluous, as long as the importance of using reliable sources is emphasized, but the average Wikipedia-user will transform that in a need for citations (which in itself will not help). - Brya 05:44, 16 May 2011 (UTC)

Brya05:44, 16 May 2011