The last time I tried to get some additional comments on a user
category there was little to no response, so I thought some of you on
the mailing list might be able to bring some additional views on this.
I noticed a user pointing to [[Wikipedia:User categories for
discussion/Archive/October 2007#Wikipedians by mental and
physiological condition and subcats]] the other day, and I was a bit
surprised to see all of those categories did get deleted. I personally
know of a few times such categories were used to help out with article
collaboration, and even once during a debate about the handicapped
sign being used in templates. In the past I've recommended to people
that they were a good way to contact someone who wouldn't be bothered
by someone asking questions related to their condition. It's been my
assumption that when a user put themselves in such a category (or uses
the associated userbox) they were basically listing themselves as a
resource, as if to say "I have this condition, and I am inviting any
editor that is interested to ask me about it, or ask me about what
resources I know of that might help said articles". A lot of
Wikipedians have conditions, but don't have an active interest in
working on the related articles, but are still willing to help when
asked.
It also reminds me of something [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Anime and
manga]] has done, where it has made a magazine and book listing where
users can list what books and magazines they have. So when someone
knows that an anime was talked about in a book, they can find who owns
the book and ask them for help, or how to cite the information.
While I agree with a great many of these deletion discussions, I think
people are not being reasonable in how things can and have been used,
or are not considering some of the points I've brought up.
I'm also confused as to why people seem to think that [[WP:MYSPACE]]
applies to anything that they don't see as helping Wikipedia.
Certainly, useless categories should be deleted, but being useless
does not mean something is being (or is even practical to be) used for
social networking. It also seems to set people off, in that since they
are assuming these categories are being used for social networking,
reasonable arguments that demonstrate wiki-related use will not be
given proper consideration.
Like I said, a lot of these deletions are dead on, but we're also
losing a lot of categories that were realistically usable. Should some
be taken to DRV? Should a kind of "rationale" page be created to help
avoid confusion? Are any of these categories realistically being used
for social networking, or are we overreacting? Are babies in lurking
in the bath water? Is it bath water in the first place? Green or
yellow? Up or down? Paper or plastic?
-- Ned Scott