*[Something I posted as a message to Pradeep's talk page on his decision to
retire from Wikipedia. But I think may make sense to many of you. Please
ignore if you think I'm caballing]*
*
*
*Why retire from here?*
Remember the good old days? When we used to edit in our own cocoons? The
only communication between two editors was through talk pages and the
occasional use of [[Special:Emailuser]]. And we had fun. That fun is why
we're still here.
We moved on to more communication, more outreach. All good. We need to
spread the word. We're evangelists of the noblest of causes. It's all good.
Now there are mailing lists. And IRC. And meetups. And Chat. Chain mails
and more chain mails. Each more frustrating than the other. We're all in
cabals. If not voluntarily, we're slotted into them by force of opinion. As
this message is being read by others visiting this page, I'm being slotted
into one. You have to be pro-someone and anti-someone else. And we fight
till our teeth come loose. And then some more. Politics is fun now.
Wikipedia, not so much.
And if this lack of AGF, too much BITE, BATTLE and blah is too much,
retire. But not from Wikipedia.
Retire from the mailing lists, the meetups, the cabals and the works. If
you're considering quitting Wikipedia, quit those instead. Wikipedia can
still be fun. Edit the articles on astronomy and India space projects
again. India-related patrolling. Contribute to Commons. Only respond to
messages on your talk page. And that occasional email.
As an experienced editor who's largely inactive, I've considered retiring
often rather than staying in limbo. Time and again, I've decided not to. I
may not be able to contribute regularly, but I can step in that one time
when all the experience probably counts for something. Because Wikipedia
was there for me when I really needed it and I will be there when it really
needs me.
We've been struggling with editor retention and that's understandable.
People quitting Wikipedia because it's now a battleground is
understandable. Valuable, experienced editors quitting because the mailing
lists are suffocating, is NOT.
You can edit. Always.
Cheers
~~~~