On 06/03/2008, Relata Refero refero.relata@gmail.com wrote:
Why? We shouldn't care that much about the "community". Caring about such nebulous things as the "community" and its "ideals" is one of the reasons why the social-networking side of WP gets in the way of improving the encyclopaedia. I personally try never to use the word "community". "Project" is more correct. If you think about the difference between those words, you'll realise why your concerns are almost certainly irrelevant.
I don't think you can dismiss the community (as a thing or as an idea) that easily. I've always thought of "project" to be inclusive of the encyclopaedia and the community. The encyclopaedia and the community cannot be separated - they intimately rely on each other. Most of the things that increase community cohesion and support the social aspects of Wikipedia have a positive effect on the encyclopaedia. The most important reason for this is that people will contribute to something more often and more regularly if they feel part of a community and feel that they are furthering the aims of that community.
This is why I never understood the big deal over userboxes. As a thing which improves social-aspects of Wikipedia and turns a User: into a person, it is bound to have a positive effect on the encyclopaedia.