Talk:IEEE Computer Society

Other IT-related organizations

Are there any other IT professional organizations/associations/societies that allow opportunities for networking with peers/potential mentors? Thanks, Captain Zyrain 20:57, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Membership numbers

Are the membership numbers for IEEE ("nearly 100,000") and ACM ("85,000") accurate? An ACM leaflet I just received claims they have 95,000 members, while the IEEE Computer Society site puts their own membership to "nearly 85,000". Jorge Stolfi (talk) 19:45, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

2010 improvements

Wikipedia:Five pillars should be observed. I recommend the best way to go about this is to think of oneself as an outside observer who doesn't trust (well not implicitly) the publications of the organisation in question. Try to read 3rd-party info about IEEE-CS and summarise it in your own words to tell an "independent" story about the organisation.

It may be difficult to take this perspective, but I think it is necessary given the circumstances. --AlastairIrvine (talk) 07:22, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Getting rid of flags for original content and verifiability on this page

I would like to do what I can to get rid of the flags at the top of the CS page. As stated on my talk page, I have a COI on this article but I am committed to straightening this out within the Wikipedia content guidelines.

I spent most of my earlier effort trying to straighten out the CS relationship with IEEE in the first five paragraphs. I'm sure I have it right, and I thought it was important because the IEEE CS runs largely autonomously from the IEEE. Moreover, the IEEE CS and its main competitor, the ACM, are of comparable size and purpose, whereas the IEEE is a much larger organization with a broader (and more electrical/electronics/hardware) tradition. I referenced what I found for everything in the first three paragraphs, where I sorted this out.

I just made two minor changes to correct misinformation in paragraph 4 about how the CS Executive Committee is constituted and, furthermore, to generalize organizational stuff that I assume is of marginal interest to people who want to know what the IEEE Computer Society is.

I'm asking for specific help in understanding how to address the flags for "original content" and "verifiability," which have been on the page since I last worked on the article.

Thanks, Cecilialw 22:32, 10 March 2011 (UTC)Cecilialw — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cecilialw (talk • contribs)

I was asked about the above on my own talk page, and responded there - but thought it best to copy the comments here. The original discussion is now in User_talk:Chzz/Archive_29.  Chzz  ►  19:31, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

OK, I've had a look over the article. The main point is, that Wikipedia is all about references - to independent reliable sources. All the facts should be referenced, and most of the article should use 3rd party references - such as newspaper articles, or books, or whatever. Things that are not connected with the society itself.

Some specifics;

• Today the CS is the largest of 38 technical societies organized under the IEEE Technical Activities Board.

This is a non-neutral claim - so, either you a) find an independent reliable source (e.g. newspaper article?) to prove it, or b) remove it.

• The CS maintains its headquarters in Washington D.C. and additional offices in California and Japan.

This is fairly basic information, so it it one case where a 'primary source' - such as the institute website - could be used. So if there is a page on IEEE which states that these are the locations, add that at the end of that sentence, as a reference.

• CS members elect professional volunteer officers and a 21-member Board of Governors to set strategies and policies.

This is probably not worth including. It is 'inside information'. Unless the actual formation details have been discussed in e.g. New York Times, it is probably best to skip it. Remember, as an Encyclopaedia, we only publish information that is already documented elsewhere.

• Representatives from the CS Executive Committee and Board of Governors sit on the corresponding IEEE governing bodies.

That sounds OK, if a reference can be provided. If the website of CS Exec says it, that'd be fine as a reference.

• Notable leaders of the IEEE Computer Society (and its predecessor IRE and AIEE committees) include Charles Concordia, W.H. MacWilliams, Morton Astrahan, Edward McCluskey, and Albert Hoagland.

Be very careful with naming people - we have to take extra precautions here. Unless these people are well-known 'public figures', it is probably best to leave them out. The ones with Wikipedia articles (linked) are probably fine. Please see WP:NPF and WP:BLPNAME. (And of course, it needs a reference)

For the rest, "Main activities" contains a lot of information which I think is not suitable for inclusion - see WP:NOT. Again, it is unreferenced, and I doubt references outside of IEEE itself (or people publishing what they've said) could be found. I think that section needs major trimming.

Almost anything you can add, from other sources, would help. Try searching Google News archives, ie this - and add information that comes from reliable sources. Chzz  ►  19:31, 13 March 2011 (UTC)