On 13/09/2007, George Herbert
<george.herbert(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Regarding the burnout problem; I am beginning to
think that the
fundamental problem is with the personality of the people who make
good editors and admins. We are the types of people who, while
basically functional in normal society, also can get very focused and
obsessed on particular points.
There's also the participation cycle. Elonka Dunin (User:Elonka) has
done some work on Wikipedia as MMORPG. The typical participation time
in an MMORPG is six to eighteen months. When she said this, I'd
already noticed myself that some people I thought were great editors
or admins would burn out and discover real life after eighteen months
or so ... so, to be an old-timer on Wikipedia, just stick around for
two years.
I find bouncing from job to job keeps things fresher. Also, remember
to write articles. I haven't had an article deleted lately :-)
I'm curious about Elonka's work now...
The time limits sound familiar from other online venues I've worked
with in the past.
I strongly second the "bouncing from job to job" part. I've been
doing RC patrol for the last few weeks, and it's time to stop. That
one has proven pretty exhausting.
--
-george william herbert
george.herbert(a)gmail.com