[WikiEN-l] Scott McCloud on Wikipedia

[George Herbert]

On 2/28/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
> on 2/28/07 8:39 AM, John Lee at johnleemk at gmail.com wrote:
>
> > Well, kind of the idea of creating a new class of users involved with the
> > English WP was to create a new "top" so we wouldn't need to rely on the
> > mandate coming from Jimbo who, I think, is a bit isolated from the things
> > that go on in WP on a daily basis.
>
> John,
>
> I just don't see how a group can lead - without a group leader.

It doesn't have to be leader-singular in the appointive sense.  People
who are leaders in some sense just rise to the top; participation in
WP:AN, WP:ANI, these mailing lists, policy discussions at the Village
Pump, etc.

A rough consensus democracy can evolve among such leaders if they play
nicely together and feel empowered to do things.  Someone will
probably end up as more equal than the rest, but that doesn't have to
be a formal executive power position, it can be consensus-leader soft
power.

This is not a necessary or natural evolution of empowered leader
groups, though.  Some are dysfunctional or just don't rise to that
level of leadership due to personal or organizational issues.


-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com