On 12/10/06, Tim Starling tstarling@wikimedia.org wrote:
Utkarshraj Atmaram wrote:
On 12/11/06, theProject wp.theproject@gmail.com wrote:
I've spent the last week or two observing and trying to help out with
the
backlog on [[Category:Articles to be merged]]. Unfortunately, it looks
like
the backlog is rapidly spinning out of control -- I haven't actually
kept
track, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are many more merge requests added than are serviced every day. Right now the backlog is a little under 10,000 articles, and I would like to see if we can't
brainstorm
a new way to deal with backlogs, because our current methods aren't
dealing
with our worst backlogs. (Our worst backlogs, ironically but
expectedly, are
the ones users are least likely to start tackling.)
Unlike wikification and other such tasks, in most cases, a merge is best
done by
somebody who has little knowledge about the subject. I do hunt out the
articles
to be merged that I know something about.
Right now, many people who put the [[Template:Merge]] or
[[Template:Mergeto]]
don't use [[Template:Mergefrom]]. This is one of the main reasons behind
the
backlog.
The article to be merged is usually an orphaned or little known about article. On the other hand, the article that is to receive the merged material is
usually on
many watchlists. If [[Template:Mergefrom]] is used, many editors will
notice
it and help with the merge.
You want to ugly up major articles with "merge from" templates for obscure orphans? Why? You won't get things done even by having todo templates fly across every article on the site in flashing red reindeer-shaped boxes. Merging does not need to be centralised, it's a simple task which can be done by any interested editor. Like every other editorial task, it can be organised from the wikiprojects, perhaps with a rotation of requests on a wiki-wide forum like the community portal.
-- Tim Starling
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That's what I'm suggesting, I suppose -- I'm just wondering if the idea would work. Err, did I suggest it in the wrong place?