[WikiEN-l] kelvSYC's take on userboxes

[John Lee]

Geoff Burling wrote:

>On Sat, 14 Jan 2006, Haukur ?orgeirsson wrote:
>
>  
>
>>>If a user has made enough edits to articles that they are able to move
>>>pages and edit semi-protected pages, they have contributed enough that
>>>they should be able to create a userpage. Userpages should be reserved
>>>for those who are writing the encyclopedia; WP:NOT a webhost.
>>>      
>>>
>>I think this would have unintended negative consequences. When I register
>>an account at a new Wikimedia project one of the first edits I make is
>>usually to my userpage to let people know where I'm coming from and where
>>I can most easily be contacted.
>>
>>    
>>
>One useful clue, in fact, to the intents of a new user is how many edits
>pass before she/he does create a userpage. If a new user makes more than
>a few (say 10 or 20 edits) without creating a userpage, it raises doubts
>in my mind whether that person wants to be part of a community devoted
>to creaing an encyclopedia -- or has just dropped in to agitate for a
>specific POV, or to cause trouble.
>
>I suspect that I'm not the only one to understand this behavior in this
>way, for a few months ago Uncle G refused to create a user page to combat
>this assumption. (However, when I've asked the occasionally newbie who
>doesn't have a user page to create one, I've never been refused; I'd
>say that Uncle G was needlessly fighting a battle that didn't need to be
>fought.)
>
>Geoff
>
>  
>
I think I made a few hundred edits without creating a userpage.

John Lee
([[User:Johnleemk]])