On 12/4/06, Kat Walsh mindspillage@gmail.com wrote:

On 12/4/06, Matt R matt_crypto@yahoo.co.uk wrote:

...

Any idea to make Wikipedia a more comfortable place for people to get

involved

...

is a worthy one, and I support a forum for editors to discuss issues of

gender

...

bias in wikis, to promote wikis to potential female editors, and for

general

...

discussion of wikis in a female-friendly environment.

However, I have to confess to being unhappy with the existence of an officially-endorsed *females-only* mailing list and wiki. Discussion

isn't

...

enabled by segregating the people who should be talking to each other

about a

...

problem, and I do not think Wikipedia should be in the business of

excluding

...

people from discussions because of their gender. WikiChix can still be

made a

...

female-friendly forum by use of moderation.

Ubuntu Women say, "Ubuntu-Women is not about segregation of women,

rather its

...

goal is to integrate women as equals within the mainstream development

going on

...

in the Ubuntu world. Remember, membership is open to all and not based

on

...

gender alone. If you want to increase diversity and encourage women in

Linux

...

please don't hesitate to speak to us."

I urge you to follow their example, but otherwise keep up the good work,

I second this completely.

-Kat

Yes, on second thought I'm not happy with the list being female-only either; though that's perhaps a discussion to have on the new list itself. Moderation and a commitment to the discussion at hand seems like it would do the trick. -- phoebe