G'day Ray,
David Gerard wrote:
[SV complains that
new-comers to an article rarely pay enough attention to the flow of its text]
Actually, I
disagree: content accuracy is more important than
writing
flow, and reverting or even discouraging the
addition of new
information for the sake of writing flow is very bad practice.
This seems like the
opposite of Slim's complaint. She's not
suggesting
that new information be reverted or discouraged for the sake of
writing
flow. It's about those people who make later changes without paying
attention to text flow. A careful writer can pay attention to text
flow
when adding new facts.
It's the difference, I should think, between *adding* information and *including* it.
Suppose we said this about Isaac Newton:
Isaac Newton was an English physicist best known for his definition of gravity, which
was widely-accepted until the discovery of general relativity two hundred years later.
If I were to come across that article and say:
Isaac Newton was an English physicist best known for his definition of gravity, which
was widely-accepted until the discovery of general relativity two hundred years later.
Also, he was an alchemist.
That would Suck. But it shouldn't be reverted --- after all, alchemy *was* a fairly
significant part of Newton's life. The article *is* improved by the information (at
this point it would be improved by *any* information!), it just reads worse. Suppose a
better writer were to come along --- SlimVirgin, say, or David Gerard ... or even this Ray
chap --- with the same intentions. She or he might change it to read:
Isaac Newton was an English physicist and alchemist. He is best known today for his
definition of gravity, which was widely-accepted until the discovery of general
relativity
two hundred years later.
Much better, and with only a little more effort. We will always have drive-by additions,
especially from non-registered users --- this is a Good Thing, even if it makes our
articles a little messy. But those of us who know better haven't really any excuse
for not taking the time to ensure our additions don't disrupt the flow of the existing
text.
Cheers,
--
Mark Gallagher
0439 704 975
http://formonelane.net/
"Even potatoes have their bad days, Igor." --- Count Duckula