On 12/11/05, JoanneB joannebennaoj@gmail.com wrote:
Anthony DiPierro wrote:
I proposed requring editors that aren't logged in to enter text into the comment field, when editing the article namespace. This would be done with the intention of extending it to all non-minor edits to the article namespace if the experiment succeeded.
In fact, of the 3 non-implemented experiments above, I think this one would be the least controversial.
I disagree on this one. As a frequent Recent Changes patroller, using a combination of CoolCat's IRC bot, CDVF and Special:Recentchanges, I have come to appreciate the predictability of a lot of the vandals: no edit summary, using an IP. Of course, I glance over every edit summary too, but in my experience, usually the people using edit summaries are editing 'in good faith'.
Forcing people to leave an edit summary for all non-minor edits, will in my view result in one or more of the following results:
- Non-sense comments: "sldkjlsdfj" or "."
- Abusive comments in edit summaries
- People marking all their edits as minor, to avoid having to leave an edit
summary.
That way, vandalism will be harder to spot and there will be more 'noise' in the edit histories.
Hmm. Wouldn't 1 and 2 make vandalism *easier* to spot? Or do you think a significant number of good editors would make nonsense comments or even abusive ones?
As for 3, the part I throught was pretty non-controversial would be limited to editors who weren't logged in, and who therefore can't mark edits as minor anyway.
I guess I'll have to look at recent changes more closely. I got the sense that the majority of edits by IP users who left no edit summary were good ones. If you're saying that good editors who aren't logged in already leave edit summaries, then I guess forcing everyone to leave them wouldn't accomplish anything.
I think an option that forces you to leave an edit summary, which can be switched on in the preferences, would be better: if you stimulate people using that, you'll have more quality edit summaries and not an increase in nonsense and abusive summaries.
Regards, JoanneB
Well, my initial proposal was only to apply to users that weren't logged in, so they don't have a preferences. I'm more skeptical about whether or not it's a good idea for all users. In fact, you're starting to convince me it actually isn't.
I'd only want the experiment to affect users that weren't logged in, though. Any extension beyond that would take further discussion and research first.
Anthony