Editing Request and Offer form

'''Request and Offer form''' is appropriate for any [[arms-length transaction]] where it might be important to review the [[contract]] later.  This includes a [[social contract]].  Without this form, more [[social capital]] than necessary is at risk.  The formality is an important form of [[hedging]] via [[etiquette]] - if things go wrong, they are restricted to only that one matter.

To put something in this form, state it as a '''Request'''.  Anyone who wishes to respond will develop that request further into an '''Offer'''.  If this is satisfactory, the request will be withdrawn and the offer accepted.  If not, a '''Counter-Offer''' will be created but the original '''Request''' will remain visible for other competing '''Offer'''s to respond to it.  All of this should be recorded reliably.  A [[legal contract]] almost always follows this format, for exactly the reason above:  if things go wrong, issues are contained.  They do not generally turn into a [[reputation war]] or something.

[[MoinMoin]]'s [[Market Model]] (and all similar models like the [[stock market]]) rely on this form.  It is probably the only real global standard.

One can look at [[wiki edit]]s as following this form.  An [[open link]] is a kind of request, and an attempt to create a viable page is an offer to close that link.  If it is rejected, the page might be blanked or even deleted.  A second offer can then be entertained, etc..  See also [[Unanimity Minus Two]].