[WikiEN-l] The downside of creating perfect articles

[SJ]

On 1/24/07, Angela <beesley at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 1/24/07, dmehkeri at swi.com <dmehkeri at swi.com> wrote:
>
> > Always Leave Something Undone used to be a Rule To Consider, didn't it.
>
> Yes, but it got {{rejected}}.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Always_leave_something_undone

Not before it was merged with a somewhat unrelated idea, about what to
do if you don't know a relevant piece of information.

This touches on a basic contradiction that we haven't really come to
terms with -- on the one hand, this is an open collaboration, intended
to let people see when something is unfinished, help them verify its
accuracy, and quickly contribute what they know.  On the other hand,
many want the project to "look professional", to have a certain
polish, to be respected as a brilliant resource.

It would be awfully nice if there were some simple differentiation in
skin that could distinguish articles at different stages of
development, so that leaving questions and unfinished statements in an
article would not be unexpected or 'unprofessional' in an article
written on lightly crumpled recycled paper; and unfinished ideas would
not be unespected on some slightly grenapkin paper...

++SJ