"Mail this article to a friend" -- yes, we do need this function. Thing is, it may put a stress on the servers.
"Flag problem with this article" -- isn't that what article tags like {{npov}} are for?
User watching -- Sounds like a good idea, thing is, it may lead to more wikistalking
Revision stability -- Fundamentally good to ensure article quality, but it can be argued that this stereotypes newcomers. Then again, newcomers really have a tendency of doing things not exactly how we like them, but it's okay. Sounds like a good idea.
Accept-but-delay -- anti-wiki. I prefer the newbie-edit flag better, since it helps make sure the article doesn't degenerate in quality, but delaying edits of someone is against the whole quick-editing concept.
On 6/19/06, Samuel Klein meta.sj@gmail.com wrote:
A few disparate feature thoughts from recent conversations:
- "Mail this article to a friend" and "Mail this image to a friend" --
badly needed functionality
- "Flag problem with this article" -- useful interface feature, though
what it does once you apply such a flag might be refined over time.
- User watching -- add the option to watch the edits of particular
anons or new users [logged-in users could opt out of being watchable]. In addition to "/newbies" have an "unwatched newbie contribs" RC page.
- Metadata about revisoin stability : A subtle but visible "recent
newbie edit" flag to articles to indicate that someone with no history has edited the page recently, and this flag has not been reset. Provide a way for any non-new editor to unset the flag.
** A feature to prepare for the future, but not to apply unless necessary : an "accept but delay" editing patch for new users -- new users can see their own changes to an article; logged-in users can see the "recent newbie edit flag" and also the latest changes; other users see the last version before this edit. Anon readers who try editing the page (not seeing the newer revision) would be editing the text of the old revision (with the standard warning), so a set of newbies could conceivably overwrite one another's changes in quick succession without realizing it; but other editors could learn to compensate and work through the histories of especially current events articles with rapidly changing content and information.
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