[WikiEN-l] unintended consequences

[Marc Riddell]

on 5/27/07 1:38 PM, Ray Saintonge at saintonge at telus.net wrote:

> I don't understand why you make it about "winning".  I don't think that
> either Andrew or I were approaching it in that spirit.  Being dismissive
> from the beginning of possible solutions doesn't solve anything either.
> Both ideas being presented are possibilities, and no-one is treating
> them as certainties.
> 
> Wanting people to use your encyclopedia is an underlying theme in the
> same way that any author would want the public to read his book.  Sure
> we want people to use Wikipedia, and showing up in search engines will
> enhance the possibility of that happening.  Nevertheless that should not
> be the driving force behind the way we do things.  Having a good product
> is far more important than marketing that product.  Wikipedia did not
> get where it is by developing a marketing strategy.  We don't need to
> engage in grandstanding to develop an audience.
> 
> We don't want people to look ONLY at Wikipedia.  We want our readers to
> find alternatives, and must support teachers who downgrade student
> papers when those students use Wikipedia as the only source for
> significant facts in that paper.  We are not the Borg.

All very well said, Ray.

Marc Riddell