On 1/17/07, Marc Riddell michaeldavid86@comcast.net wrote:
Ya know what we need in WP, an Article on Expertaphobia: The fear of, and seeming intimidation by, people who know stuff about things.
The problem with expertise on Wikipedia is how to judge whether or not someone is an expert.
In the article on Cheesesteak, people were constantly coming in with pronouncements on what kind of cheese was proper or what brand of roll was required, and insisting that they were Philadelphians and that they _knew_. But the thing was, some people that said they were experts said that an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak had Cheese Whiz and coarsely cut meat, while other people who said they were experts said that an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak had provolone cheese and finely chopped meat.
I couldn't judge their degree of expertise from their usernames. Nor could I judge it from the plausibility of their statements, how articulate or confident they sounded, or how good their grammar was.
Similarly, I accept that there _are_ people who _really know_ which movies and publications are authentic parts of the _Nightmare on Elm Street_ canon, but I don't know which of the people confidently making conflicting claims are the people who really know.