User:Larry Sanger

Hi there! Larry Sanger here. I'm the Editor-in-Chief of the Citizendium. I am also currently, and temporarily, serving as Chair of the Editorial Council. If you have a question, I'll try to answer, but you might want to try the Forums first if I don't answer instantly. I'm happy to report that I'm extremely busy! You can join my shameful backlog of e-mail at sanger <at> citizendium <dot> org.

You can read more about me at my personal home page. I have a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Ohio State and a passion for Irish traditional music. I was born in the Seattle area and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska.

I do not claim any sort of editorship other than being Editor-in-Chief, I'm afraid, not even in philosophy or the Internet. I am too long out of doing any serious research. (Although this is changing!)

I've worked on many articles, but I wrote significant parts (or all) of: John Doherty (fiddler), philosophy, Ship of Theseus problem. None are done yet!

Status Sat., Sept. 29: Talk at the Institute of European Affairs went swimmingly, everybody seemed to like it, including the Irish Minister for Communications, Energy, and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan. It will take me some time to unwind, I'm afraid, but I am very sure that early next week I am going to be working very hard indeed--we have a lot of work to do this month. And much of this is on my shoulders, at least to initiate if not to finish. Pressure's on! My top short-term priorities, as reported to a group of Citizens: we're going to finish writing policy and instruction pages, and then we are going to do what I've called "the changing of the guard," meaning we are going to reshuffle our personnel, add new positions of responsibility as people are willing to take them on, and so forth. Also, switch to the latest version of MediaWiki, get the automated application approval system started, start on systematic recruitment--and finally do a press release.  :-) Also at work on What's Your Article? and What's Your Message? Also going to launch a new discussion list soon.

Suggestion Box Got a suggestion for me personally? I mean, you can use the Forums to make any suggestion, but if there is some big sweeping change or project or idea that probably ain't gonna happen if I don't get behind it, please let me know at Suggestion Box.

Sanger's Dashboard

New project planning Done Subpage/subproject stuff: Actually prepare a subpage proposal for the Editorial Council Policy/help page rewriting: Rewrite help pages so that it is perfectly clear how starting a new article is changed Place templates & categories on all policy and help pages (start here) Call for essays about what the CZ licensing scheme should look like Completely rework (or help others rework): CZ:Policy Outline Clarify policy on editor banning of authors Main Page CZ:ArticleOTWeek and COTW CZ:Project Home Do general overhaul/rethink of policy and help pages. The goal here is to simplify, clarify, and make more inviting. First step: thoroughly critique these pages. A new "how to get started" page for editors CZ:How to get started as an author Change links to "external" citizendium.org pages (which have been imported to the wiki). Redirect links past CZ:Policy Outline and past CZ:Project Home. Gut CZ:Editor Policy. Write various community home pages. Particularly important are CZ:Getting Started (most of all), CZ:Technical Help, and CZ:Content Policy. Write (or make sure is written CZ:The Constable Role. Attempt to wrangle a "Citizendium for Dummies"-type technical introduction. Redesign sidebar...again. Rewrite Template:Awelcome and Template:Ewelcome. Revisit CZ:Home and community pages templates Write up some guidelines for editing policy documents: which details go in the document and which go on more specialized policy pages, who needs to be informed of changes, and that we should be linking to all (yes, all) policy pages from the Policy Outline Other stuff: Use wiki pages for public patron program Write policy Write mock-up pages Planning for the Big Invite See User talk:Larry Sanger/Approved in pagehist; discuss here. Expand the Article Checklist (incl. AmE & BrE, and various other suggestions, including perhaps degree of importance) Ensure that "the recent unpleasantness" results in effective policy solutions "Ramp up editor participation" Add editor policy and relevant workgroup templates to all editor pages. Core Articles + What's Your Article? and What's Your Message? Think about how to make self-registration (again) work Public comments feature - MW plugin? Governance policymaking Follow up on talk page conflict problem proposals Mediation Judicial Board Editorial oversight of authors Write policy affecting the Personnel Manager Write policy regarding "job listings" Craft Judicial Board policy Get feedback & confirmation of this policy from Editorial Council & Constabulary Finish drafting policy regarding entrance and exit from Constabulary (an element of sortition here?) Hammer out policy about how new Constabulary policy is created Discuss with the Council: open up Chair actions to all Council members? Start a general debate about sortition Pass a resolution about how to get new people on (and off) the Council; also, address the issue of term limits and total number of members; and about how to get authors on the Council Write Executive Committee rules into Policy Outline Write various Editor-in-Chief powers and constraints into rules Veto power Minor policymaking power (must be exercised before Council & Const.) Ask Editorial Council and Constabulary to vet the rules about Editor-in-Chief powers and constraints Start a central "proposals" page? Hammer out author demotions policy--long anticipated, never acted on Technical Committee Procedure for adding workgroups, including breaking "Hobbies Workgroup" into a zillion subgroups Recruitment Step 1 Create "one-off" job board Request resignations from inactive members of Executive Committee, Constabulary, and Editorial Council Follow up to nonreplies after a week (set reminder) Actually remove people from various wiki lists and mailing lists Accomplish separation of powers Compile list of people who serve on more than one group Send mail to all of them asking them to choose which group they want to remain on Follow up to nonreplies after a week (set reminder) Make decisions for any laggards (set reminder) Actually remove people from various wiki lists and mailing lists Do big management recruitment push Create "job listings" page E-mail lists when ready "Jobs" to list include (be sure to specify which positions are pending approval): Chair of the Editorial Council Constables (6-10 new recruits) Executive Committee (6-10 new recruits) Executive Committee Secretary Editorial Personnel Administrators (8-12 new recruits) Chair of the Editorial Personnel Committee Judicial Board members (3) Personnel Manager Project Coordinators: annotated Web links; annotated (non-Web) bibliography; categories (subtopics, supertopics, related topics); catalogs (almanac-type information in tabular form; see e.g. catalog of religions); gallery/multimedia; expert (curated) articles with bylines; debate guide; news summary; tutorials Update CZ:Personnel with data about beginning and end of terms Follow up on old volunteer offers

Recruitment Step 2 If possible, find a Personnel Manager first; work with this person to complete Step 2 Begin matching jobs to persons when applications begin dropping off Work with current constables and Chief Constable to get new constables on board Do the sortition to get new editors and authors on board Select new Executive Committee members (from within set of general volunteers, and possibly others) If necessary, use Craigslist and/or other sites for recruitment Find new E.C. Chair Solicit from within Council If there are no replies (set reminder), solicit from outside Council Create coder wiki page, to include: desired projects; "bounties" (solicit donations for particular software projects--domystuff.com?) Assign authority to edit certain pages to certain specific individuals; track these assignments on CZ:Policy Outline Implementation The Big Subpage Move Son of the Big Delete (eeee!) Start the Big Invite Nominate new Editorial Council members Create new workgroups, finally Add rules about the Editorial Personnel Committee and its Chair Do "training" of new positions When finished, make self rank-and-file member of Council & remove self from Constabulary Establish Execute Committee meetings (conference call) Settle upon technology Settle upon time Ask whether anyone will serve as Secretary Set up new Executive Committee wiki page, containing reports/minutes Decide whether to post these meeting reports to Citizendium-L Other Tasks Create Board of Advisors Ask for nominations from Citizendium-L, Citizendium-Editors, Executive Committee, as well as the blog Create criteria Do further research into possible invitees Make a master list of possible invitees Approach each personally Follow up on eBay thing "Submit articles" button/address & process? Move discussion from workgroup forum boards to workgroup mailing lists? Follow up (write policy on and develop) "Cold Storage" Purdue thing Establish a method to raise neutrality issues (and other issues of failure on the part of the editor to follow CZ policy) Create a uniform dispute resolution mechanism, in the form of a vote on proposed issue. Other quality checklists? Open up stubs? Start up weekly focus days? -- New article day, edit someone else's article day... Put editor names on talk (or info) pages? Popovers A page for giving credit to "First Collaborators" Move discipline-oriented discussion to mailing lists, shut down workgroup forums?? Ensure the Constabulary gets a policy about exiting members going "Pop culture" subpages Proof subpages A better way to get programming support