[WikiEN-l] What is an "expert"?

[George Herbert]

On 1/19/07, The Cunctator <cunctator at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 1/19/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> > Hello all,
> >
> > I believe there is something we should ask at this point. This question is
> > for everyone participating in this Mailing List:
> >
> > What is your definition of an "expert"?
> >
> > Please, for now, try to resist responding to the others' answers, simply
> > state your own.
>
>
> Someone who, if they get involved in editing subjects on Wikipedia in which
> they have expertise, will get quickly exasperated by the process.

Counterpoint:

For the purposes of debate, I'm going to claim pseudo-Expert status in
the fields of IT operations and systems architecture (general),
spaceflight (general), reusable spacecraft and launch vehicles
(particular), space policy and alt.space (particular), ships and naval
architecture (general), and nuclear weapons.

Of these, we've had WP "annoying edit frustration" problems with one
survey article in spaceflight ( [[Space Exploration]], resolved), an
image copyright issue with shipbuilding articles, and nuclear weapons
being a moderately popular vandalism target.

All the stuff that's frustrated me has been in other fields, where I
wouldn't think I'm an expert by any reasonable definition.

An Expert who actually understands Wikipedia and how to write for
general audiences and reference things, and is working in areas which
aren't WP or general community hot-button items, shouldn't have too
many problems.  Problems do come up - an expert who understands both
the field and Wikipedia will not have to resort to "Because I said
so"; they will have the resources and knowledge to locate and cite
sources and engage in an informational Talk page discussion and show
mistaken non-experts the error of their ways.

An Expert who doesn't know how to interact with the general public in
general, or WP in particular, will possibly have a worse time.  But I
think no more so than if they were having to explain things in social
or professional circles to people outside the field.  Until you figure
out how to explain things to laymen, life can be frustrating, but
that's not WP specific at all.


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