From: "Boris Lohnzweiger"
<BorisLohnzweiger(a)web.de>
Organization:
http://freemail.web.de/
Reply-To: wikipedia-l(a)Wikimedia.org
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 00:22:55 +0100
To: wikipedia-l(a)Wikimedia.org
Subject: [Wikipedia-l] Creating premium encyclopedias and/or promoting and
preserving languages
I would therefore recommend that:
1. Whenever we evaluate new language proposals we should assess if they have
the potential to yield a 5-digit number of articles.
Seems too high for many desirable projects. Also we need to take a longer
view, a ten year take off period might be appropriate for the near-dead.
2. We should require every new language proposal to be
supported by at least
two or three native speakers in order to assure there is some demand within
that language community (instead of first setting up a new Wikipedia and then
trying to convince native speakers).
I'd much rather just see some support by a few people who are part of the
culture.
3. We should require people interested in setting up a
new Wikipedia to
provide 20 basic encyclopedia articles before we establish that edition in
order to have some start-up basis and to avoid "zero" article Wikipedias.
20 is not many, perhaps total of 20 with at least 3 people doing at least 5.
4. New constructed and extinct languages should not be
allowed except
proponents provide sufficient arguments that their language has a special
potential for an extensive high quality online encyclopedia.
5. We should discuss new avenues for the advancement of small languages
(minority, extinct, constructed) within Wikimedia, apart from Wikipedia.
Of course, a dictionary and usage guide might be appropriate even if there
is no interest by a local community.
Boris
Fred