[WikiEN-l] Admins shouldn't shoot back

[George Herbert]

On 6/21/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
> on 6/19/07 7:48 PM, Ray Saintonge at saintonge at telus.net wrote:
> > What leadership structure? Sometimes I believe that the leadership is
> > only suitable for drawing and quartering. I often have the impression
> > that we live in a culture of distrust, and that this infects much of our
> > activity, whether on Wikipedia or esewhere.
>
> What leadership structure? Precisely. This is what I have been trying to
> drive home for some time now.
>
> A community without strong, definable leadership produces a culture of
> "everyone for themselves". This is true whether in Wikipedia or the world at
> large. It becomes the very familiar "survival of the fittest". And "who can
> you trust?" becomes the pervading question.

Online communities have, however, successfully self-organized around
people that are trusted and put forwards (or put themselves forwards)
as leaders.

I've said this several times before: If actively contribute to threads
on Wikien-L, you're probably an English Wikipedia leader, whether you
consider yourself one or not.


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