[WikiEN-l] How to clear a backlog

[Tim Starling]

Utkarshraj Atmaram wrote:
> On 12/11/06, theProject <wp.theproject at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I've spent the last week or two observing and trying to help out with the
>> backlog on [[Category:Articles to be merged]]. Unfortunately, it looks like
>> the backlog is rapidly spinning out of control -- I haven't actually kept
>> track, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there are many more merge
>> requests added than are serviced every day. Right now the backlog is a
>> little under 10,000 articles, and I would like to see if we can't brainstorm
>> a new way to deal with backlogs, because our current methods aren't dealing
>> with our worst backlogs. (Our worst backlogs, ironically but expectedly, are
>> the ones users are least likely to start tackling.)
>>
> 
> Unlike wikification and other such tasks, in most cases, a merge is best done by
> somebody who has little knowledge about the subject. I do hunt out the articles
> to be merged that I know something about.
> 
> Right now, many people who put the [[Template:Merge]] or [[Template:Mergeto]]
> don't use [[Template:Mergefrom]]. This is one of the main reasons behind the
> backlog.
> 
> The article to be merged is usually an orphaned or little known about
> article. On
> the other hand, the article that is to receive the merged material is usually on
> many watchlists. If [[Template:Mergefrom]] is used, many editors will notice
> it and help with the merge.

You want to ugly up major articles with "merge from" templates for obscure
orphans? Why? You won't get things done even by having todo templates fly
across every article on the site in flashing red reindeer-shaped boxes.
Merging does not need to be centralised, it's a simple task which can be
done by any interested editor. Like every other editorial task, it can be
organised from the wikiprojects, perhaps with a rotation of requests on a
wiki-wide forum like the community portal.

-- Tim Starling