[WikiEN-l] I am not a troll

[Ira Stoll]

To be honest I only have a fleeting idea of what a troll is. It does have a 
number of definitions, even the very loose "he who is surrounded by 
conflict" which apparently I fit. However, the strict definition (as I see 
it) of someone who makes trouble for troubles sake, and is inclined to 
subversion and chaos, fails to fit me at all. Some seem to think I am a 
test, or that I am testing you. This is not entirely far from the truth. I 
am currently trying to find out if this is a place worth being. So far there 
is not a consensus on this subject. It still appears to be a matter of 
debate. However, with admins like those who seek my removal, I think there 
is a great deal of cause for concern about the future of the wikipedia. I 
agree with the spirit of the following:

>Just out of curiosity, is there some reason why the entry bar for Wikipedia 
>contributors is so low? Right now the system lets anyone post unless 
>someone blocks their IP number or user name. While this has certain virtues 
>in terms of inclusiveness, it also makes vandalism more likely. Moreover, 
>blocking an IP numbers has the effect of blocking an entire class of people 
>for the infractions of a single individual, and it isn't even effective at 
>blocking people who use an anonymizer to continually change their IP 
>number.

>It seems to me that it would better to require people to register before 
>they can contribute. That's a fairly minor requirement, but it would 
>probably be enough even without a verification system to deter some of the 
>casual vandals and trolls, and it would also ensure that bans only affect 
>people who have actually done something wrong to merit the ban.

>I imagine this discussion has already happened before, but I haven't seen 
>it, and I'd be curious to know what the reasoning is behind the current 
>system.

There is a sad cultural phenomena here not entirely removed from the days of 
the salem witch hunts. If one is accused of "trolling" they are guilty until 
proven innocent. And yet there is no current way to be proven innocent (I 
have looked into it).  I wish we could all be real editors, and focus on the 
task of making a quality encyclopedia, rather than a mob of ghosts gossiping 
around the water cooler. :(
Jack Lynch

_________________________________________________________________
Check out the new MSN 9 Dial-up — fast & reliable Internet access with prime 
features! http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=dialup/home&ST=1