[WikiEN-l] WikiProjects - Your thoughts

[Matthew Brown]

On 7/12/07, Mister Hand <misterhand2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have seen editors post on the talk page along the lines "I'm not a member
> of the WikiProject, so I'm not sure if I'm allowed to edit this article" and
> then they suggest an edit. And no, I don't have an example off the top of my
> head.

I think that's just one manifestation of the newbie error in not
internalizing "Be bold" - if there wasn't a Wikiproject, they might
well indeed ask the same of the regular editors.

> It just seems to be that there are several projects that are more concerned
> with tagging every article that they [[WP:OWN]] then they are with actually
> editing them.

I don't disagree with this.  WikiProject Chicago being one I've had
encounters with, and I understand that geographic WikiProjects are
especially prone to this.  WP Chicago has laid claim to every player
that's ever played with a Chicago sports team, every model of railroad
locomotive ever operated by Metra, and many other categories of very
remotely related article.  (note that I'm not suggesting that WP
Chicago is necessarily the worst here; simply it's one that I've run
into).

However, many WikiProjects have been of great help in improving
coverage for an area of content, in imposing a more uniform degree of
quality, of being a way to find interested and knowledgable editors to
help out, and much else.

-Matt