[WikiEN-l] The difficulty of retaining volunteer writers

[Ray Saintonge]

Poor, Edmund W wrote:

>SlimVirgin is about to leave, and Essjay has already left. 
>And I'm so upset by recent events that I'm poised on the brink, 
>too. It seems the only way to deal with breakdowns in 
>collegiality is simply to leave - or say you're considering 
>it.
>
You are highly experienced in the curative effects of Wiki-vacations.

>The emotional cost - not to mention the time cost - of stopping 
>a fellow contributor from directing abusive language at 
>another contributor has always been rather high, but it has 
>reached a new high of late.
>
Wiping does not remove the asshole nor inhibit its normal productive 
activities.

>It's just too much trouble to sift through FuelWagon's 2000+ 
>word statement (which should only be 500, by the way). 
>
When rants significantly exceed the limit delete everything in the 
argument after the 500th word, even if the 500th is in mid sentence.

>He made a personal attack, I blocked his account for 3 hours. 
>No one has told me (by email, IRC, or wiki talk page) that I 
>have done wrong in this.
>
>And yet I feel embattled. 
>
>I'm labeled the bad guy.
>
I've known that for nearly four years, but I'm still willing to read 
your side of the story. ;-)

>This is not an environment conducive to collaboration, and I am 
>reminded of what Yogi Berra said: "If people want to stay away 
>from the ballpark, you can't make them."
>
>For those unfamiliar with Yogi-isms, this translates to 
>thousands of potential contributors simply staying away from 
>Wikipedia.
>
>Not because it's hard to edit, 
> but because it's hard to defend the edit. 
>
>Not because it's hard to discuss topic "whatever", 
> but because it's hard to endure the name-calling, 
> humiliation and accusation on [[talk:whatever]].
>
>Perhaps I've been too bold in trying to take matters into my own 
>hands. So be it. I'm a dinosaur, I'm not scaling with the project. 
>
Some might say that diinosaurs had scales to protect them.

>Okay. Fine. I'll do whatever I'm told. Ask mav: if I'm told what 
>to do, I do it.
>
It's a tough environment for a person with that temperament.

>So what's the solution? What is the solution for all of us?
>  
>
I don't know FuelWagon, and after reading your introduction I don't 
think that I want to know him,  I can only speak in genralities.

Sometimes I feel that overly agressive admins are as much a part of the 
problem as the miscreants that they are trying to deal with.  They 
antagonize rather than heal.  Their reactions only inspire a further 
round of reaction from the offender, and it escalates from there.  If 
someone persists in acting anti-socially after a *patient* effort to 
bring him into a culture of civility, swift and decisive action may be 
necessary.  With mature approaches from the admins this should be rare.

The other thing that needs to be repaired is the fiction that quick 
fixes are good for the pedia.  It's not rocket surgery to see that some 
kind of deletion is at the heart of many of these disputes.  What 
difference does it make if a problem article is deleted to-day in the 
midst of an uproar, or next month when everyone has forgotten about it?  
The eventualists among us know that it will happen when its meant to 
happen; we've been around here long enough to know that from experience.

Ec