The bar for contributing is higher. Whether because
editing is more
technically challenging, or because the rules and standards are more
complex, or simply because more of what people know is documented than
it was 4 years ago... it's harder in a variety of ways for people to
contribute significantly on a regular basis (i.e. become regular
editors, as opposed to making several contributions and not
returning).
We can try to relax some of these barriers, but they grew naturally
along with the project; the needs of the project have evolved over
time, so winding back the clock to 2006 may not be beneficial in as
many was as some might think.
Nathan
That's right. We are expecting a lot more quality than we once did,
perhaps forgetting that it took some of us years to acquire our current
skills, such as they are. I think we need some less punishing way to
learn; although books like How Wikipedia Works, if consulted, are part of
the solution. Another is not going ballistic when mistakes are made by
newbies, or your "enemies".
Fred