[WikiEN-l] Uploading images should be a privilige, not a right

[Mark Wagner]

On 7/21/06, Oldak Quill <oldakquill at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 21/07/06, Gregory Maxwell <gmaxwell at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 7/21/06, Mark Wagner <carnildo at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > By making image uploading a privilege to be earned rather than a right
> > > conferred by registering an account, we can relax the policy and deal
> > > with uploaders individually, rather than automated notification of
> > > problems and nearly-automated deletion of problematic images.
>
> We have already stripped new users and anons of far too many rights.
> We have already gone through the creation of semi-protection, the
> prevention of page creation, and now we have a suggestion that we
> prevent them uploading! It is an utter disgrace that we still refer to
> ourselves as an encyclopedia that "anyone can edit".
>
> It is clear that we have completely lost sight of the original aims of
> Wikipedia.

I agree.  We've completely lost sight of the original aims of Wikipedia.

Originally, Wikipedia was supposed to be free content and be an
encyclopedia.  We're still reasonably close to being an encyclopedia,
but the idea of "free content" has been lost in the flood of hundreds
of thousands of non-free images.  Most users wouldn't know a free
license if it bit them in the ass, and the only reason we've got a
million GFDL-licensed articles is because of a snippet of text nobody
ever bothers to read.  I doubt so much as one editor in a hundred
actively wants their contributions to be freely licensed -- the other
99 just want their work to be on Wikipedia.

-- 
Mark
[[User:Carnildo]]