User:Usr 681ab43c-99d7-4e40-92ba-956d9d8d66e7

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Conflict of Interest (COI) refers to an individual’s connection to any significant affiliation they may have with a given project, such as a World, Avatar, Prefab, or Community. Conflict of Interest editing (COI editing) is when someone closely connected to a project creates a page for that project or makes significant edits to it.

COI isn’t just a standalone policy but works alongside other important guidelines like Notability, Neutral Point of View (NPOV), or No Original Research (NOR). These policies work together to prevent issues like biased content or undue promotion of a person’s own project. For instance, Notability must be determined by independent sources, not by the person creating the project, which is where the COI policy helps by restricting creators from self-defining their projects’ Notability.

While it’s not assumed that someone with a COI will intentionally promote or advertise their project, there’s a greater risk of unintentionally embellishing information, leaving out key facts, or treating the page as if it’s a personal primary source.

Identifying a Conflict of Interest

You would have a Conflict of Interest if you:

  • Created the project.
  • Contributed significantly to developing, moderating, or running the project.
  • Were the main financial backer of the project (e.g., through a commission).

COI Policies

The VRChat Wiki has two main policies regarding COI and COI editing:

  1. Editors who created or contributed significantly to a project are not allowed to create pages for that project.
  2. Editors with a COI are limited to making only minor edits to pages related to their project.

Pages created in violation of these policies may be deleted, and the editor will be notified.

Editors who repeatedly violate this policy may face further actions, including editing restrictions or removal of their editing rights.

Situations That May Not Be Conflicts of Interest

Conflict of Interest isn’t always a clear-cut situation. It’s more of a spectrum, where even a slight affiliation can be enough to warrant caution. In cases of doubt, it's better to disclose any potential COI. However, there are many instances where someone with a mild affiliation can still contribute meaningfully.

One way to gauge your potential COI is by considering how easy it would be to end your involvement with the project. If you could easily walk away without much impact, you likely have a minor COI. But if your involvement is deeply tied to the project’s success or history, your COI is more significant.

If you think you have even a slight COI, it’s a good practice to mention it in your edit summary and ensure that your edits follow all guidelines, particularly NPOV.

Here are some examples, from most to least significant:

Having a personal relationship with someone affiliated with a project

This is a tricky one. Relationships can vary from close personal ties to casual online connections (e.g., "mutuals on social media"). Only you can assess the nature of your relationship and whether it would influence your edits. Be extra cautious here.

Financial support for a project

Supporting a project financially can show significant interest, but it doesn’t always mean you have direct involvement. A financial backer might still be independent enough to edit objectively but should still disclose their support. This isn’t always a major COI on its own but should be noted.

Community membership

Being part of a project’s community might mean participating in events or discussions, but this involvement is usually less concerning in terms of COI. As long as standard guidelines are followed, community membership usually presents a low COI risk.

Strong interest in a project

Having a passion for a project doesn’t necessarily mean you have a COI. In fact, it’s encouraged! Everyone contributing to the VRChat Wiki does so as a volunteer, and editors often contribute to topics that interest them. Just make sure your edits remain neutral and well-sourced.

Example Scenario

Let’s consider a hypothetical project called "Super Fun World":

  • The creator of Super Fun World cannot create a page for the project, but a community member can.
  • If the community member is also a Patreon supporter of the project, they should disclose this in the edit summary.
  • A 3D modeller for Super Fun World notices a typo on the page and corrects it with a minor edit.
  • The creator of Super Fun World sees an incorrect event date on the page and fixes it with a minor edit, providing a valid source.
  • A dedicated fan of Super Fun World reads a new development blog and uses the information to update the article in a neutral, sourced manner.

Conflict of Interest Noticebox

If an article contains content primarily written by someone with a partial Conflict of Interest, it will display the following noticebox:

UserpageCOI.svg
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.

This noticebox cannot be used to bypass the two core COI policies. Pages created in violation of these policies are still subject to deletion, even if the noticebox is present.

To add this noticebox to a page, use the following text: {{Noticebox/Conflict of interest}}

See also

Sandboxes

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