[Foundation-l] #wikipedia , english and other languages

[Sean Whitton]

We've been asked not to discuss this on this list, but to clarify,
I'll quote from the new guidelines:

"Since #wikipedia is a channel for the entire Wikipedia community,
including a large number of language variants, people of all
backgrounds and language skills frequent the channel. Although English
is the most-used language on #wikipedia, there is no "official"
language of the channel. People are entitled to speak languages other
than English in the channel."

but at the same time:

"Discussions relating to specific wikis and processes thereof, such as
the English Wikipedia and adminship/deletion discussions there, should
be taken to more specific channels like #wikipedia-en."

The first quote bears a lot more weight than the second. They do
however deal with different things. Purely on language, any language
is permitted now and no-one should be disputing that.

On topic, any language's project is acceptable ("A place for
discussion relating to those language wikis which lack their own
sufficiently active IRC channel (the idea is to keep specific talk on
larger projects in their own channels to make #wikipedia more useful
for everyone)") but it is suggested that if the channel is getting too
busy that it be taken to other channels.

In a nutshell: #wikipedia is definately not exclusively English.

Sean

PS We'd love to see applications from non-English operators.

On 21/06/07, Aphaia <aphaia at gmail.com> wrote:
> As far as I know #wikipedia has been multi-lingual channel. I hope the
> new rule doesn't try to change it without any consensus.
>
> Sean, can you please explain?
>
> On 6/21/07, Pedro Sanchez <pdsanchez at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I was wondering, if on the new rules, it was decided that #wikipedia
> > is to become an english-only channel
> >
> > You'll see, traditionally #wikipedia is the "all wikipedias" channel,
> > unlike #wikipedia-fr which is the french one, #wikipedia-en  the
> > english wikipedia, and so.
> >
> > So, since it's the equivalent of a "meta" channel, all languages have
> > been traditionally accepted, since visitors from any wikipedia may get
> > there first.
> >
> > Now, every once in a while, people there get to think it's the english
> > wikipedia channel and start acting aggresive when people talk in
> > languages other than english along the lines
> > "If you want to talk spanish, go #wikipedia-es"
> > which is silly, we don't people "if you want talk english, go #wikipedia-en"
> >
> > That attitude is not new, I've seen it several times since I've been
> > around (which is by the way, about 3 years ), and usually after a bit
> > of drama, it's accepted that #wikipedia is a multilanguage channel.
> >
> > However, it seems that today several users (teh_tennisman and others)
> > were pushing out people because they weren't speakign english. So I
> > wonder, now that channel policies are being set
> >
> > could it be made explicit once and for all that #wikipedia is a
> > multilingual channel or that it's an english only channel? Either way,
> > it would help to stop this hostile attitude towards non english
> > speakers (by either makign clear they're accepted or making clear they
> > shouldn't stop by).
> >
> > -- drini
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > foundation-l mailing list
> > foundation-l at lists.wikimedia.org
> > http://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
> >
>
>
> --
> KIZU Naoko
>  Wikiquote: http://wikiquote.org
>  * habent enim emolumentum in labore suo *
>


-- 
—Sean Whitton (seanw)
<sean at silentflame.com>
http://seanwhitton.com/