Andrew Gray wrote:
2009/1/22 Erik Moeller erik@wikimedia.org:
A vast number of pseudonyms below have no meaning except for their context in Wikipedia.
Apropos of which, a thought. We have spilled a good bit of ink over whether or not it is appropriate for the reuser to attribute "Wikipedia users" either alone or in addition to the usernames - should the project have a right to attribution, etc etc etc. In practice, wouldn't it be almost essential to name the site where the work was done *as well* as the usernames? Many of the pseudonyms, in effect, depend on that context...
(Apologies if this was raised before - I don't remember seeing it)
An article which has had many developments and been passed on might then wind up with an amalgamated attribution line like:
"by the United States Atomic Energy Commission (1962), Wikipedia contributors "NukeUser", John Smith, Jane Doe and Mike Placeholder (2004-2007), Citizendium contributors Alan White, John Smith and Betty Green (2007-2009), and anonymous contributors."
It's not exactly smooth, but it is comprehensible, and it does seem helpful to name the project to give some context to the names.
Just saying "Wikipedia users" wouldn't be a good idea, but I like this way of mentioning it.