geni wrote:
On 20/12/2007, Rjd0060 - rjd0060.wiki@gmail.com wrote:
Why does The Register have an obsession with WP?
Same reason as slashdot. If you come from the internet then wikipedia is big
If I read you correctly, you're probably right. Bigness naturally breeds criticism, and that says nothing about whether the criticism is warranted. The top level management of other big enterprises soon learns that it is futile to counter every bit of criticism that arises. On the other hand some of the rank and file employees of these companies may not see it that way, feel personally offended, and engage in long uninformed defences that only serve to make the situation worse. Now, being able to make these defences on the internet in full public view the situations get completely out of control.
The criticism in The Register is probably less obsessive than defensive efforts that are unable to separate valid criticism from nonsense. The EssJay incident was about one person who did no real direct damage to anything. What was damaged was the pride of a few people who couldn't live with the idea that they had been duped. The more we react to these incidents with hurt pride, and with severely restrictive measures to protect our pride, the more the trolls will be encouraged to keep trying to get our goat.
Ec