[WikiEN-l] Expertaphobia

[Daniel P. B. Smith]

>> 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.

The problem with expertise on Wikipedia is how to judge whether or  
not someone is an expert.

In the article on Cheesesteak, people were constantly coming in with  
pronouncements on what kind of cheese was proper or what brand of  
roll was required, and insisting that they were Philadelphians and  
that they _knew_. But the thing was, some people that said they were  
experts said that an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak had Cheese  
Whiz and coarsely cut meat, while other people who said they were  
experts said that an authentic Philadelphia cheesesteak had provolone  
cheese and finely chopped meat.

I couldn't judge their degree of expertise from their usernames. Nor  
could I judge it from the plausibility of their statements, how  
articulate or confident they sounded, or how good their grammar was.

Similarly, I accept that there _are_ people who _really know_ which  
movies and publications are authentic parts of the _Nightmare on Elm  
Street_ canon, but I don't know which of the people confidently  
making conflicting claims are the people who really know.