Here are some examples, my main argument and a proposal:
When I began contributing to Wikipedia, there was a Category ³Suicides². If a person¹s article stated they committed suicide, the category, ³Suicides² would be included. If this person had committed suicide by using a firearm, the Category, ³Suicides by firearm² would be also be included. In this case the Category, ³Deaths by firearm² would also be included. In this way, the researcher can call up, individually, all persons in the encyclopedia who had committed suicide. Then, if they chose, they could also call up separate lists of those who committed suicide by firearm, and a separate list of all persons who died by firearm. This was wonderful for the researcher.
Then, I began finding many of my edits being reverting by persons who stated that only one of these Categories should be included in an article; that both a main category and a subcategory should not be in the same article. More and more of these articles were being diluted by this argument.
I have been in constant conflict with some who state that it is not only redundant to enter a single Article into both Categories; it is actually against Wikipedia policy. At present, if I enter John Doe into the Suicides by firearm¹ Category only, he does not appear in the Deaths by firearm¹ Category list. Consequently, if I want to call up all persons in the encyclopedia who have died by firearm, I must call up all the subcategory lists and collate them myself.
Another example: Jane Doe dies from breast cancer. Category: ³Deaths from breast cancer² is added to her Category box, but I do not include the Category: ³Cancer deaths². Then, when I click on the Category: Deaths from breast cancer¹, her name is included in this list. But, if I click on the Category: Cancer deaths¹ she is not included.
What I am wanting by adding her name to both Categories is a separate list of ALL persons who died from breast cancer, and a separate list of ALL persons who died from cancer. What is the problem with including the same Article in both a Main Category and a Subcategory?
One more example and I¹ll be shut up (for now). If I place the Categories, ³Accidental deaths² & ³road accident victims² in the same article (which I have done) I am immediately taken into custody by the Category Police, and, to make matters worse, nobody bothers to read me Miranda.
I believe an organized Project Group needs to take a long and quite serious look at the whole of Wiki categorization with the goals of deciding what its purpose is, and then to reconstruct it to accomplish that purpose.
Be healthy,
Marc
From: "Steve Bennett" stevagewp@gmail.com Reply-To: English Wikipedia wikien-l@Wikipedia.org Date: Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:44:20 +1100 To: "English Wikipedia" wikien-l@wikipedia.org Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Hello
On 12/12/06, Marc Riddell michaeldavid86@comcast.net wrote:
When I came upon Wikipedia early this year I was thrilled. Here were countless biographies (case histories if you will) of persons who, among other things, were categorized according to similar traits and life experiences. I could, for instance, click on the Category ³Writers who committed suicide² and have hours of work done for me. Now, as the categories become more and more diluted, this is becoming more and more unavailable.
What do you mean by "diluted"? If you can give examples, and maybe even some tentative solutions, we would be more than happy to listen to your bitching and moaning.[1]
Steve [1] Well, I would anyway. I think our categories fall well short of what they can and should do. _______________________________________________ WikiEN-l mailing list WikiEN-l@Wikipedia.org To unsubscribe from this mailing list, visit: http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikien-l