VRCWiki:Conflicts of interest

Conflict of Interest (COI) occurs when an individual has significant affiliations with a project, such as a World, Avatar, Prefab, or Community. COI editing refers to the practice of someone closely associated with a project creating or making substantial edits to a page about that project.

Conflict of Interest is best understood not as a standalone policy but as part of the broader framework of general editor guidelines, alongside principles like Notability, Neutral Point of View (NPOV), and No Original Research (NOR). COI policies work in conjunction with these guidelines to preemptively avoid potential issues before any edits are made. For instance, Notability cannot be self-established, and COI policies reinforce this by preventing individuals or organizations from establishing the Notability of their own projects through page creation.

It is not assumed that an editor with a COI would create or edit a page with the intention of advertising. However, an editor with a COI is inherently more likely to embellish information, selectively curate content, or treat the page as a primary source.

Examples

Here are some examples of situations where you would have a Conflict of Interest for a given project:

• You created the project.
• You were involved in developing, moderating, or facilitating the project in any tangible way.
• You were the sole or initial financial backer of the project (e.g., commissioning the project).

Policies

The VRChat Wiki enforces two core policies regarding Conflict of Interest editing:

1. Restrictions on Editing: Editors who have created a project or made significant contributions to it are strictly prohibited from creating pages about that project. Editors with a substantial COI are limited to making only minor edits on pages related to the project.
2. Enforcement and Consequences: Pages created in violation of these policies are subject to immediate deletion, with the author being notified through appropriate channels, such as their talk page or Discord (if applicable).

Situations that are NOT (necessarily) Conflicts of Interest

Conflict of Interest is not always a clear-cut, binary concept but rather a spectrum of proximity and involvement. When an editor with even a slight affiliation to a project considers their potential COI, it is generally wise to err on the side of caution and assume a COI exists to avoid any potential conflicts. However, there are many situations where someone with a potential COI can still make constructive major edits to a project's page, depending on various factors.

A useful way to evaluate your potential COI is by considering how easily you could disengage from your affiliation. Simply put, if it's easy for you to "leave" without any impact, your COI is likely minimal. If your involvement is embedded in the project's development or maintenance, then you certainly have a COI.

In all cases, editors who believe they may have even a minor COI should disclose the details in the edit summary and ensure their contributions adhere strictly to editing guidelines, particularly regarding Neutral Point of View (NPOV).

Here are some examples, roughly ordered from most to least significant COI:

Having a personal relationship with someone affiliated with a project

This situation is difficult to define precisely, as it ranges from "close romantic relationships" to "casual acquaintances on social media." Only you can fully assess the extent of your relationship and determine whether you can or should ethically contribute to the project's page. This is the most sensitive case, requiring careful consideration.

Being a Patreon subscriber, or having made other financial contributions to a project

While financial support for a project reflects a strong interest, it does not necessarily indicate a deep affiliation and can be withdrawn at any time. Although financial supporters may lean toward positive phrasing, they are still independent from the project itself and may not share the same views as those actively involved in creating or sustaining it. Disclosure is recommended, but financial support alone is not a definitive COI.

Being a member of a community

This is similar to the case of financial contributors, but with even more independence and flexibility. Community involvement can vary widely, from contributing content and attending events to simply lurking in a Discord server. While these activities fall at different points on the COI spectrum, they are generally of low concern as long as the standard guidelines are followed.

Having a strong interest in a project

Having a general interest in a topic or project is not considered a COI and is, in fact, encouraged! The Wiki is built on contributions from volunteers who share their time and expertise. While we value those who contribute to any page that needs it, we also encourage editors to focus on topics they are passionate about, as long as they do so in a responsible and balanced manner.

A general example that summarizes it all:

Let's assume a hypothetical project in the form of a World called "Super Fun World".

• The creator of Super Fun World cannot create a page about "Super Fun World," but an interested community member can!
• If that community member is also a Patreon subscriber to the creator of Super Fun World, they should ideally disclose this affiliation in the edit summary when creating the page.
• One of the 3D modelers for Super Fun World spots a couple of typos on the page and corrects them in a minor edit.
• The creator of Super Fun World notices an incorrect date attributed to an event hosted in the World and makes a minor edit to correct it, providing a valid citation if necessary (especially if the original date was a typo).
• A hardcore fan of Super Fun World reads a new development blog published by the creator and decides some of the information is notable enough to include in the article. They add a new section (or update an existing one) with a neutral point of view, using the blog as a citation.

…and so on! This example illustrates how different levels of affiliation affect editing practices while ensuring adherence to COI guidelines.

Conflict of Interest noticebox

If an article primarily (or entirely) contains content written by someone with a partial Conflict of Interest, it will be displayed with the following noticebox:

V · EConflict of interest

This page was written by an involved party in violation of the Conflict of interest policy, and may be subject to removal. Once this page has enough edits from varying parties, this notice may be removed.

Consider editing this page.

Note, this cannot be used to circumvent the two fundamental policies. Any pages found to have been created in violation of them, even if they contain this noticebox, will still be eligible for deletion.

It can be added to to an article using the following text: {{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}

See also

• VRCWiki:Guidelines
• Wikipedia:Conflict of interest on Wikipedia