On 05/03/07, Anthony wikilegal@inbox.org wrote:
On 3/5/07, Oldak Quill oldakquill@gmail.com wrote:
Academic credentials seem to me to have little to do with many of the skills necessary to being a Wikipedian (even less so when it comes to positions of trust)
But if you feel that way, then wouldn't it be accurate to say that they shouldn't be on a user page in the first place? User pages are supposed to be for helping build the encyclopedia, after all. If credentials aren't helpful, and they're potentially harmful, then by all means get rid of them.
I think a little personal information on a profile that isn't relevant to the project or the user's work is great. It helps develop a community and relationships between developers.
Also, although the credentials of the lead contributor shouldn't have any impact on an article (it, theoretically, being thorougly referenced), this kind of information can be useful. Learning that a user has credentials in a particular area may encourage me to ask them about a particular reference rather than anyone else. On the other hand, I may ask the same question to a user with no credentials listed on his/her user page because they seem particularly knowledgeable. Since, ideally, the use of credentials on Wikipedia should be limited to this, the Foundation should not need to verify them.