On Wed, 2011-10-26 at 17:55 +0100, Tom Morris wrote:
On Tue, Oct 25, 2011 at 22:55, Brian McNeil brian.mcneil@wikinewsie.org wrote:
A QR code could be placed at a relevant war memorial,
Is that such a good idea?
I like QR codes as much as the next person, but sticking them on war memorials may probing the limits of taste in Wikimedia outreach.
Believe it or not, that's why I was careful to say *at*, as-opposed to *on*. I know I've a reputation for being crass, insensitive, and bloody-minded; but, "vandalising" war memorials is something I'd not contemplate. :P
I'm glad to see others chime in regarding the potential for certain memorials being non-notable, or having insufficient reliable sources to get beyond stub status. The point here is not to drive traffic to Wikipedia, but to allow people to quickly access very personal documents.
Even just doing everyone listed on a single monument will be notable enough to garner press coverage. From that, it will - hopefully - be possible to encourage other non-wiki people to get involved and carry out the same work for their local memorials.
I've no idea how far this should be pushed, or how far it might go if it gains traction. The fallen of WW-I were not repatriated; I lived in Flanders for over ten years, I've seen the rows, and rows of white crosses in war cemeteries over there. I know a very large number of people visit these sites every year. If anyone can suggest a way to tastefully cross-link memorials in the UK listing those who died with the actual graves, that would seem the next logical step here.
Brian McNeil.