[WikiEN-l] Troubling news on Citizendium

[Ray Saintonge]

Nina Stratton wrote:

>On 1/17/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
>  
>
>>Ya know what we need in WP, an Article on Expertaphobia: The fear of, and
>>seeming intimidation by, people who know stuff about things.
>>
>>Someone, I don't recall who it was, wrote that they would never work on
>>something where experts were involved. Really? Who would you go to if you
>>needed heart surgery, or wanted to learn how to play a violin?
>>
>>Don't look now, but you are working with the aid of experts right now!
>>Those
>>marvelous persons behind the scenes of this computerized market place who
>>make all of this possible. Without them we would be typing into the ether.
>>
>Fair enough. As long as my intelligence, experience, and ability to learn
>aren't discounted. I've been made to feel small a lot in my life by
>"experts", simply because I didn't have one or two pieces of paper. It's all
>good now and I love my career and life, but Wikipedia is important to me
>because it's pretty much the opposite of my past.
>
>People respect my skills and insight here. It's greatly improved my
>confidence level on all fronts. In fact (why yes, it's quite ironic), I'm
>planning on going back to school and getting my long-lost bachelor's and
>masters in Human Services as a direct result of my time here (among other
>things - my job plays a big part in it too).
>
>Some of the editors that I've come to respect the most on Wikipedia are not
>only non-experts, they're teenagers. My teenage collaborators have been
>extremely active, and have gotten references to things no one else could
>find. They're also knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. When I say teenagers,
>I'm talking 14-15, not 18-19. They've impressed me in their editing and
>insight more than any "expert".
>
Great!  You and Marc approach the issues from entirely different 
perspectives, and are approaching a consensus.  That's what it's all about.

Ec