It takes courage to declare I am exercising my RightToChangeMyMind. This ResponsePattern is designed specifically to address the problem associated with SmartPeopleStuckWithBadIdeas.

* It takes a self-serving and narcissistic attitude conveniently misrepresented as courage. Nevermind the implication that merely because you change your mind or merely because you're stucked with the bad idea you are amongst the "smart people stuck with bad ideas". Who knows maybe you're just among the "boring people stuck with bad idea" variety? 

* Do not "declare it", '''just do it'''. 

* Declaring your "right to change your mind", is a nauseating variety of useless text. So what's the big deal if you were wrong and you changed your mind? Good for you, you'll have your place amongst the billions of unsung hero of humanity. Marking your "right to change your mind" as something special is an AntiPattern, it's more about titillating your ego, than serving WikiReaders . By the way, it's not a right because nobody can steal it from you and you don't have to defend it or do anything special to just have it.

The WikiCommunity here strive to achieve and maintain a PositiveDialogueCommunity ideal. This is achieved by having ongoing commitments from smart people with different background and are enthusiastic about sharing viewpoints. 

''A RightToChangeMyMind exercised appropriately, is a demonstration of the maturity of both the individual/group making such declaration, and the rest of the community who give space for that to happen.''

RightToChangeMyMind is a WikiNoisePollution management device.

'''On the contrary it is a WikiNoisePollution generating device.''' --CostinCozianu
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I think that all the above is a misguided bunch of self-serving rant, fraudulently impersonating the VoiceOfWiki. It has nothing to do with this wiki community, or the ways it used to build whatever useful content that is here. The tag is redundant, creates noise pollution, and it was never used so far except by DavidLiu  who inappropriately tries to misrepresent it as if it was some kind of wiki pattern. I think is an awful idea and an eye soare when the tag is used on a wiki page. If I am proven wrong it can only be from 2005 onward if it indeed becomes a practice on c2 to use this ugly tag, but so far it was only DavidLiu who invented it and used it, and thus this page is a gross misrepresentation of wiki patterns and practices.

So David, don't assume your "innovations", especially those who do not catch with Wiki contributors other than yourself, are automatically good idea. Just submit them for feedback and PeerReview, and do not misrepresent them as Wiki collaboration patterns. A pattern (in the sense that is used here, i.e. design pattern, wiki pattern, etc) is a tried and true solution to a recurring problem. --CostinCozianu 

''You are right that a lot of my ideas do not work, if this one does not work and something else you invented works, I will support yours, including your WikiChangeProposal, hows that for an attitude? And have you ever shown a need to change your mind here or anywhere? -- DavidLiu ''

When it was the case I changed my mind, when it was of any value I might have specified that I had subsequently had a change of mind and the resons why, and sometimes I wrote on this wiki that '''I stand corrected''' when this was the case. Declaring the "right to change your mind" is simply a bad idea. It shows a lack of respect to your peers, as if you suspect them of the intention to hold you to your mistakes and use them to attack you in case you do change your mind so that you have to "reserve" it as a right in advance. ''I think "stand corrected" mean I was not too sure to start, what I ask was whether you have experienced "I was so sure.. I told everyone else they are wrong.. and later...I have to change my mind on what I said before..." ''

If you hold your interlocutors to be as normal and as honest as you hold yourself to be, then there would be no need to ''declare''' your right to change your mind, wouldn't it ? So what does it tell to other people when you do declare it ?

Anyways, if this funny idea of your catches on regardless, more power to you, and good luck with trying to make it stick. What is important is for you not to misrepresent it, and for you to avoid writing with the VoiceOfWiki --CostinCozianu  ''You may have noticed that at this moment I think RightToChangeMyMind is a "Right" that needs to be made explicit from time to time, not just as a WikiBadge. But this "joke", or whatever else you perceive, is never done with your intentions of "Power", or VoiceOfWiki (I am not sure I support that concept)." -- DavidLiu
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For what it's worth, a third party (none of the participants identified above) un''''''WikiName''''''d almost all occurrences of this tag as part of an attempt to GentlyReduceWikiBadges (specifically, ones of little use). As of November 2005, it survives on only two other pages. Might be a good idea to KillTheHostage and move on to something useful.
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CategoryCommunication