[Foundation-l] Message to community about community decline

[wiki-list at phizz.demon.co.uk]

yannfo at gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> 2011/3/29 ???? <wiki-list at phizz.demon.co.uk>:
> > On 28/03/2011 18:35, Nathan wrote:
> >> 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).
> >>
> >
> > Ah there is the reason, the sum of all human knowledge is approaching
> > completion. Well done to all.
> 
> We are very far from that.
> All the issue is that of notability.
> 

Should I have put a "snark" tag on the above?

> If we apply the current criteria, which is mainly applied on Western
> subjects, to other parts of the world, we could have 10 times more
> articles (villages and towns, local customs and food, etc.).
> 

If I look at the articles for villages in my area, they are mostly stubs and will pretty well always be so, as a lot of the interesting stuff is local history which is not available in main stream publications. Other than listing the pubs, the schools the bus timetable, and whether there is a Londis store, what else can be said about them? Well take this place:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Brington

the church in that place contains a whole book full of history. The Spenser monuments are some of the most important in the country. The pews have C14 - C16 carved poppyheads, the chancel contains the tombs of George Washington's grandfather, there is stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones ...

This place

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crick,_Northamptonshire

has a Romanesque font sat upon three Atlas figures, and is one of the most important such works in the UK. A few miles away is another nationally important Romanesque font:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Haddon

BTW that place also contains works by Pugin. And finally this place is chock full of works by Burne-Jones:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilsborough

Whilst much of it is recorded in Pevsner he is often wrong, and often doesn't mention things.