[WikiEN-l] Lock new article creation for three months

[Matthew Brown]

On 3/31/07, Gwern Branwen <gwern0 at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is not a good idea. Haven't we learned anything from locking
> down *anonymous* page creation, and from the constant, and
> people-pissing-off, mess that is Articles for Creation?

I agree.  Volunteer effort is not transformable in that way.  There is
absolutely no proof WHATSOEVER that shutting down article creation
will help our project at all.  It's yet another manifestation of the
belief that if you stop people doing what they want, they'll instead
go off and do what YOU want.

This doesn't happen.  If people can't do what they want, in a project
MOSTLY CREATED BY OCCASIONAL CONTRIBUTORS, they'll simply leave.

The only people steerable in such a way are regular contributors.  We
do need to find ways to encourage those deeply committed to the
project to waste less time dealing with crap that doesn't matter.
Encourage, not force.

-Matt