Fastfission wrote:
On 6/5/06, Tony Sidaway f.crdfa@gmail.com wrote:
On 6/5/06, Fastfission fastfission@gmail.com wrote:
People should be allowed and encourage to develop their personal identity on Wikipedia
Why? Wikipedia isn't a web host, a blog or a social networking site. Those who are looking for such sites will find that there are plenty of those around. There is only one Wikipedia.
Wikipedia is a project that thrives only because people want to spend a ridiculous amount of their time on it. Developing a sense of personal identity makes people feel comfortable, feel welcome, and feel invested. As long as said sense of personal identity does not get in the way of the goal of making an encyclopedia, I see absolutely no reason to try and quash it. So far most of the attempts to cut out "social" aspects seem to have done more harm than good, in my mind.
I've never seen any plausible evidence that things like userboxes actually get in the way of the goal of making an encyclopedia, except in the sense that trying to eliminate them takes months and creates all sorts of awful falling-outs.
FF
That is the reason why I am apathetic about userboxes (I couldn't care less whether they stay or go). Complex signatures complicate discussions, however, and as a result have a very direct effect on the encyclopaedia. If our editors can't communicate, or can only communicate inconveniently, then the encyclopaedia will inevitably suffer.
John