(1) The reasons Rick already mentioned.
(2) WikiMoney didn't work either.
(3) People will start doing certain things (e.g. make loads of trivial
edits to the article namespace) *just*
to get (one of) these awards,
and then genuinely think they are entitled
to (one of) these awards.
(4) Community recognition works best when it is not measurable.
I can
say with certainty that Anthere is more
popular on Wikipedia than a
vandal, but I can't rank her with other
people. If she were awarded
a "Wikipedia peace prize" and, say, Angela
wasn't, then this would
create an artificial (and deceptive) ranking
between them.
My thoughts:
(1) The competitive will always be with us. They will always vie for
all the prizes. That does not mean we should stop giving them. It will
be very difficult to compete for the "Least Competitive Wikipedian" award.
And the more prizes the merrier. It is very nearly as easy to fool adults
as it is to fool children, and even when knowingly fooled, both adults
and children still value the recognition, except for the occasional curmudgeon
who is offended by any recognition of any sort.
(2) WikiMoney was patent nonsense. It served as a medium of exchange
for, um, well, errrrr...help me out here. Because "red" didn't work doesn't
mean "47" won't either, if I'm not making too dense a point.
(3) It's not hard to spot trivial edits by those who (like me) check
edits, and I'm sure it will be no harder for those who count them. People
who make a zillion trivial edits with the expectation of a pat on the back
need a reality check more than a reward. My guess is that a goodly percentage
of them will fall under topic (1), and know perfectly well what they're
doing, and why they should get a poke in the butt with a sharp stick instead
of a lovely PDF they can print & hang.
(4) Always. This month's number is "3". We deem three people worthy
for nicest Wikipedia:Faces faces. The fuzzy bunny award goes back to its
perpetual holder, Anthere.
(5) It is always easier to not say something nice than to say something
nice. It is always easier to not reward than to reward. It is always almost
as much fun when someone you like gets recognition as when you do yourself.
We are a community, so let's reward each other just for being here. I give
you all the Participant of the Month Award for taking the time to be on
the mailing list and not just an editor. You rock!!
Denni
--
•"The difference between extra-marital sex and extra marital sex is
not to be sneezed at." --George Will, on hyphen use
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