This has nothing to do with ethnocentric-ness it's language-centric-ness. The English Wikipedia is written in English so usernames should be in a Latin font so English administrators know who a user is and don't have to wriggle in all sorts of odd angles to refer to such a user or to block them for example. Also, Japanese characters are sufficiently confusing for Westerners to fall under the "Don't make a username that's too similar to another user's" rule.
And then there's people whose system doesn't support Japanese/Chinese/Korean font. It's simply impossible for the English Wikipedia to handle this from a practical standpoint.
Mgm
On 12/20/06, Luna lunasantin@gmail.com wrote:
Forwarding from foundation-l, after a brief discussion between myself and the original poster. See more at: http://mail.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2006-December/thread.html
"English Wikipedia ethnocentric policy affects other communities" -- specifically, our username policy, and the practice of blocking non-Latin usernames on sight.
Seems a number of multi-wiki users have felt pushed away or chagrined by this policy. Single-login seems like it might render the whole thing a moot point -- are we ready for the implications of that? Or does anything need to be done? Do we know how single-login will affect each wiki's ability to set and enforce a username policy, and if so, should changes to the policy result?
Myself, I'm not sure of the answers to any of these questions, just yet. But it seems like we may as well discuss it.
Apologies if I just happened to miss a prior thread -- if it's already happened, I don't remember seeing it.
-Luna
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Aphaia aphaia@gmail.com Date: Dec 20, 2006 12:07 AM Subject: [Foundation-l] English Wikipedia ethnocentric policy affects other communities To: Wikimedia Foundation Mailing List foundation-l@wikimedia.org
Hello, today a user on Japanese Wikipedia whose account is in Kana (a Japanese script) came to our Admins' noticeboard to request for chaning his username. He said he would have liked to do so because he had changed his username on English Wikipedia.
I repeat again the English Wikipedia community should reconsider how shameful and discriptive policy they has about users' identity and respect of cultural diversity, and how badly it affects other communities. I am very sorry to see such a request fullfiled to our request page.
Cheers,
KIZU Naoko Wikiquote: http://wikiquote.org
- Nessuna poesia prima di noi *
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