I’d like to spend a little time advocating the catalyst philosophy for resolving disputes on the Internet, and indeed in real life. It’s something that Rob Levin, founder of freenode originally developed (along with others) for IRC and I find it very effective. It’s also extremely valuable for resolving disputes on-wiki, and I try to apply it to pretty much all situations of possible conflict on the Internet. I have a copy pinned on my wall, and have it linked from my user talk pages in the hope that other people might use it too.

At the core of the document is the dedication to use words and gentle nudges rather than force, such as a block or kline. IRC can seem extremely harsh towards new users sometimes and the environment of projects can seem equally dangerous, especially if people read the blocking policy before the civility one. By working with words disputes can avoid spiralling, and overall this promotes a friendlier enviroment - as long as gaming of the system is avoided.

Of course, this philosophy is nothing new, but the famed document is particularly good at giving hints and strategies to those who want to implement the strategy who don’t really know how to do so. It’s inspirational for those who are still using older methods, and I’d really love it if more people who start using it. That’s why I will always promote and link to where I can the catalyst strategy for solving disputes, in order that we can make the Internet a better place.

Wiki-policy links: Assume good faith, civility
freenode links: SportChick’s blog post, catalyst documentation, channel guidelines