Gov/en/Portal:R&D/Open-Calls:Request for Comments

💡 In simple words: Anyone can suggest an idea for WikiDeal. You make a free account, write your idea on the Discussion page, and then you can raise your hand to ask others to look at it and give comments. It is open to everyone.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): Request for Comments (RFC) is the standard, open mechanism for submitting proposals to any Open Call, drawing on the culture of early Internet engineering. Create a free account, post the proposal in the Discussion tab, then add "Request for Comments" to invite community review. The operational team aims to give a first answer within 15 days.

Open Call Status
Wave	Second Wave (Draft)
Status	Not launched yet
Members / Commission	Undetermined (Under construction)
Chairperson	TBD
Facilitator	TBD

New ideas often die simply because nobody knows where to send them. The RFC mechanism aims to remove that barrier: no email, no gatekeeper, no special status required. Inspired by the Request for Comments culture that helped build the Internet in the 80s and 90s. Historically, the Request for Comments format was used primarily for the constitution of the Internet and its standards, allowing for both formal and informal exchange. While it originated in Internet engineering, it has since been adopted by other organizations (such as various National Libraries and standard bodies) as a proven method for decentralized collaboration. A student, a retired lawyer or a curious babysitter can all bring a proposal to the same open table and receive comments from the community. This is citizen participation in its most direct form, driven by progressive refinement, and the whole exchange stays public and transparent.

1. Create a login

Create a free account on WikiDeal and log in. That is all that is required to take part.

Remember that all content you post about WikiDeal (not your deals, but the governance, the models, the answers to such Open Calls...) is under free licensing (CC-BY-SA, like on Wikipedia).

2. Post your proposal in the Discussion tab

Go to the Discussion (Talk) tab of the Open Calls page that interests you, and post your proposal there. Say clearly: "I propose the following…" and add your ideas and any links (for example a link to an HTML snapshot of an architecture proposal).

For instance, a contributor who has sketched a better way to organize market categories would post: "I propose the following taxonomy...", with a link to her draft. Nothing needs to be final; a snapshot of work in progress is welcome.

3. Raise a Request for Comments (RFC)

At the end of your proposal posted in the Discussion tab, you can add "Request for Comments" to draw attention to it and obtain comments from the community. This is the mechanism that lets any contributor say: "here is my proposal, please look at it and give me comments."

4. What a Request for Comments should include

A Request for Comments should include:

• a short title for the proposal;
• the Open Calls it relates to;
• a one-line summary of what you propose, which part of the problem you tackle with a solution or guidance (max 5 lines);
• the link to where you posted your proposal (the Discussion tab, or an external HTML snapshot);
• what kind of comments you are looking for.

5. How comments work

Any user can comment. Comments aim at respecting the following principles:

• keep it short: a résumé of max 5 lines, with links to more content allowed;
• assess rationally the social added value of the proposal;
• consider efficiency, financial aspects, risks and priorities;
• consider the compatibility of the proposal with the suggested criteria.

The WikiDeal operational team, led by Athanasios Priftis, executive director of the Ynternet.org Foundation, aims at giving a first answer at the latest 15 days after receiving the request (the team receives alerts at each new edit of Discussion pages). If you get no answer past 15 days, don't hesitate to send an email to team@wikideal.net.

Who does what

• Contributors post proposals and raise RFCs.
• Community members comment in a decentralized way, offering positions (at least temporary ones, open to revision by later comments).
• The operational team monitors Discussion pages and provides a first answer within the intended 15-day window.

6. Focus on team building and gradual refinement

Though contributions are singular, solutions are often largely the fruit of mutual inspiration, mirroring the early Internet's consensus-building process. Giving ideas along the way and sharing time online with others, in decentralized dynamics, is how proposals mature: comment loops between contributors matter as much as the initial idea. Progressive refinement is how it works.

Open to all

This mechanism is open to everyone. Anyone with a login can submit a proposal and raise a Request for Comments, on any Open Call page. It is the standard, transparent way to bring ideas forward, attract attention, and get community comments.

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See also: Open Call · Content Architecture · Reverse Abuse