Hey folks,
I wanted to draw your attention to a deletion nomination discussion for an
experimental template – {{Cite Q}}
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_Q> – pulling bibliographic
data from Wikidata:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Templates_for_discussion/Log/2017_S…
As you'll see, there is significant resistance against the broader usage of
a template which exemplifies how structured bibliographic data in WIkidata
could be reused across Wikimedia projects.
I personally think many of the concerns brought up by editors who support
the deletion request are legitimate. As the editor who nominated the
template for deletion notes: "The existence of the template is one thing;
the advocacy to use this systematically is another one altogether. Anybody
seeking that kind of systematic, radical change in Wikipedia must get
consensus for that in Wikipedia first. Being BOLD is fine but has its
limits, and this kind of thing is one of them."
I find myself in agreement with this statement, which I believe applies to
much more than just bibliographic data from Wikidata: it's about virtually
any kind of data and contents reused across projects governed by different
policies and expectations. I think what's happening is that an experimental
template – primarily meant to showcase how data reuse from Wikidata
*might *work
– is perceived as a norm for how references *will* or *should* work in the
future.
If you're involved in the WikiCite initiative, and are considering
participating in the deletion discussion, I encourage you to keep a
constructive tone and understand the perspective of people who are
concerned about the use and misuse of this template.
As one of the WikiCite organizers, I see the success of the initiative as
coming from rich, highly curated data that other projects will want to
reuse, and from technical and usability advances for all contributors, not
from giving an impression that the goal is to use Wikidata to subvert how
other Wikimedia communities do their job. I'll post a note explaining my
perspective.
Dario