Ask HN: Name of theory, people will not start something but will correct you?

by mmsimanga on 7/21/2014, 7:14 PM with 8 comments

Some months ago I followed a link on HN about a theory/philosophy which said that people in general will not contribute documentation/articles but will be the first to correct you should something be wrong. The article implied this was why Wikipedia was successful.

I am trying to get my team and the greater business to start documenting processes and procedures. I wanted to use this article/theory/principle to motivate my team to start documenting. Problem is I cannot find this article or name of the theory/principle and require your help with the name of the theory?

  • by applecore on 7/21/2014, 7:26 PM

    Cunningham's Law: The best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it's to post the wrong answer.

    Named after Ward Cunningham, the inventor of the wiki.

  • by pizza on 7/21/2014, 8:31 PM

    Might want to check if there's research into armchair theorizing. Maybe start with econometrics papers ;)