What is a wiki? This question has been answered by dozens of people in hundreds of ways. This is just another try. -- HelmutLeitner
Wiki is like a game.
It has:
- a playing ground (the technical system, wiki software, page database)
- players (the contributors)
- rules (made by the founder or agreed upon and extended by the members)
- spectators (the readers)
- goals (explicit goals as defined by the mission, have fun in communication, be a good and fair sportsman)
- ...
And:
- different wikis play to different rules and they have every right to do so.
The important point is that playing makes only sense if you play to common rules. If someone violates the rules or starts lengthy discussions about the rules - this way disrupting the game -, he spoils the game.
Imagine some people playing street soccer. Now someone enters the game "may I join?" - "Yes, ok". After a few moves he starts a discussion about changing the rules. The normal reaction in real life will either be: "Yes, ok, why not." or "No, play to our rules or move out". In real life people accept such quick decisions as making sense. Wiki visitors often do not want to understand - for whatever reasons - that it is justified that the current players define the rules. And that it is more important to have fun playing than going into rule discussions.
Some communities deliberately have SillyRules as a way of weeding out AntiAuthoritarians. Eg: HTwoGTwo's "no spitting", meatball's UseRealNames "gauntlet", BookShelved:SimpleRules