[WikiEN-l] newbie culture

[Steve Bennett]

On 6/19/06, Stephen Bain <stephen.bain at gmail.com> wrote:
> I never cease to be surprised (and pleased) how many casual vandals
> stop editing when I give them a warning message. They're mostly just
> kids who've been caught with their hands in the biscuit tin (or
> "cookie jar", for all you septics).

I actually suspect that for some, a good telling off makes them
respect the project a bit more. The difference between "anyone can
write anything so it must all be rubbish" and "anyone can write
anything, but people actually check that it's not all rubbish".

> I worry there may be a few too many people who've got far too cynical
> dealing with vandalism all day, and need to relax a bit.

It's pretty understandable. Deal with borderline misanthropes long
enough and anyone becomes jaded. We just need fresh vandalism
fighters.

Disclaimer: I hate vandal fighting. I help in other ways. :)

Steve