[Gendergap] Hello and a (small!) manifesto

[Andreas Kolbe]

--- On Sun, 6/2/11, Brandon Harris <bharris at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> On 2/6/11 10:10 AM, Fred Bauder wrote:
> 
> > Cracking down on hasty deleters and new-page patrolers
> is productive of
> > much heat and little light. It amounts to a lot of
> heavy lifting for very
> > little outcome.
> >
> > I think many women have enough patience or insight to
> stick around long
> > enough to get though preliminary unpleasantness,
> survive the systemic
> > problems we have, and make substantial contributions
> to content and
> > policy, particularly if there is social support.
> 
>     I don't think this is a wise
> perspective.
> 
>     The treatment that new users receive is
> very clearly one of the reasons 
> why they don't stick around.  Simply saying "oh,
> they'll get over it in 
> time" doesn't do anything to help solve the problem, it
> only perpetuates it.


I agree with Brandon. These episodes were nearly a year ago, but they left
a lasting, and hurtful impression on my wife (while the guy she tussled
with has probably long forgotten about it). And it sounds like that 
impression is one shared by a lot of people who tried to contribute. We
should look at that, as a systemic issue. This doesn't mean that I am 
interested in "cracking down" on the hapless hasty deleter or new-page 
patroller who rubbed my wife the wrong way. Those guys mean well in what 
they do, and they are supported by the culture that has grown around 
new-page patrolling. But that culture could do with some tweaks -- not by 
punishing offenders, but by trying to develop a bit more sensitivity to what
it's like for a person who has never contributed to Wikipedia before, is
still struggling with the software, has just clicked Save, and is looking 
with a mixture of trepidation and pride at their first article-in-the-making.

In my wife's case, on one of her articles she actually clicked "Save" when
she meant to click "Preview". A minute later, the article was speedied.

Also discussed at Jimbo's en:WP talk page: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jimbo_Wales#Female_participation

Andreas