User talk:Charles Matthews/Conflict of interest

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[edit] Thoughts

Here's the problem: it's entirely possible to have a so-called "conflict of interest" without it being an issue, because we have a myriad of policies that already take it into account. If anything, the only things we should be worrying about is making sure such possible biases are up front. I do edit articles on children's books, for instance, but I also work in the industry. Does that qualify as a conflict? Possibly. What should be done about it? I'd like to think that my edits speak for themselves - I don't edit articles that solely have to do with product my company offers, I also edit "the competition," and I'm not editing from any specific POV. This can trickle down further - you mention "dog lovers should edit about cats." I'm an idie rock fan, it's what I know, should I be editing about John Cougar Mellencamp instead, even though I know nothing about him and a whole lot about Headlights?

I understand the need to be vigilant about spam and self-promotion. The question isn't "should we allow it," but "do our current policies already address the issue." I'd say the answer is yes, and the focus should be more on being direct about those than anything else. Just my two cents. --badlydrawnjeff talk 13:11, 25 October 2006 (UTC)