User:JMBell/Lost Library/DiploGuild

The Diplomats' Guild is an informal Wikipedian mediation society whose members (or diplomats) are highly skilled in resolving disputes. The need for such a Guild arises from the observation that most users caught up in disputes think of the Arbitration committee, mediation, and requests for comments as the penultimate steps to and last resorts in resolving a dispute. This distrust in the said committees/options soon evolves into distrust and open hostility between the two arguing users, further damaging their relationship, and destroying the bonds of trust and friendship that are supposed to hold the Wikipedia society together.

Mission
The goal of the Diplomats' Guild is to step into heated arguments and resolve the dispute before the relationships of the involved users deteriorate. The unofficial nature of the Guild is meant to take away any bias or prejudice against the arbiter or the user who invoked the help of the arbiter by not being an "official" Wikipedian mediation committee. The diplomats can, of course, bring cases to the ArbCom, but this is only supposed to happen in extreme cases.

The Guild must be more effective than normal mediation if it is to survive.

The Diplomats' Guild does not mediate between users on the Guild's discussion page, instead, the diplomats are sent into the debate itself. This way, the debators do not have to come to the Guild to argue, save for requesting diplomatic mediation. The Guild does not belong to the proposed Mediation 2005 policy. It is an independent organization, and so is unaffected by any policies or accusations brought by Wikipedians against it. The Guild is governed internally by a Diplomatic Committee, re-elected every 3 months.

Requirements
To become a diplomat, a user must:


 * be good in resolving arguments,
 * be extremely or unnaturally patient,
 * be of the most neutral point of view,
 * have developed communication skills,
 * not waver in his/her decisions,
 * have an extremely strong character,
 * be able to withstand extreme pressure,
 * not have a flawed system or view of ethics.

Some things expected of would-be diplomats:
 * adequate knowledge of Wikipedia policy,
 * clean record (e.g. no record of vandalism, edit warring),
 * highly social character,
 * admired by many users,
 * humorous personality,
 * active participation in Wikipedia.

Voting and election
A diplomat must have interpersonal skills that are more developed than those of a normal arbiter. This is to prevent the development of hostility between the debators and the diplomat. The applicant must therefore show evidence of good relations with other users, good manners and humor, and the ability to resolve even the worst disputes under pressure. After some time, which will be used to examine the evidence and make opinions, a voting session will be held. A vote of 80% is required to pass this stage. The prospective diplomat will then be subject to some tests to certify if (s)he is of true diplomat material. These would include some questions on policy, questions on different situations (to better know the character of the applicant), a mock dispute, and a short probation period of 3 to 7 days.

After all these tests have been finished, a panel will decide whether or not the applicant can be accepted into the Guild. If the applicant passes, (s)he will immediately be a diplomat worthy of handling tough and demanding situations. If she/he does not pass, and if (s)he wishes to re-apply, (s)he will be given the panel's written observations and a list of things to improve. The failed applicant may also wish to undergo training.

Absolutely no politics are involved in this election process. To ensure that no bias will hinder or speed up an applicant's election, the panel should consist of users who have had little or no contact with the applicant prior to the examination. The proctor should also be of neutral but helpful nature.


 * Since there are no members yet, aside from the founder of the Guild and a few other users, the first election will be somewhat different than the standard process. An applicant will only need to pass:


 * a 90% vote,
 * the said tests,
 * probation period.


 * The first batch of diplomats will be hand-picked by the founding group, and then (hopefully), there will be enough experienced diplomats to hold a normal screening.

Why would I want to join?
The Guild seeks to provide assistance to certain disputes and, ultimately, to prevent a user from being sent to the ArbCom unnecessarily. Any user can naturally do this on his/her own without having to join the Diplomats' Guild. But any of the user's efforts that would usually be ignored outside of the Guild will be recognized by fellow diplomats. The Guild can also give a chance to hone one's diplomacy and communication skills by providing different opportunities for improvement. Participation could also boost one's reputation.

Members
The Diplomats' Guild has not yet been fully established, and as of now has no members. This number will surely increase once the Guild has been fully set up.