[WikiEN-l] Proposal for simplified credentials model

[Bryan Derksen]

William Pietri wrote:
> There are plenty of companies in the credential validation business. 
> Most of them are set up for slightly different uses, but I'm sure there 
> are some creative ones we could work with.

I would want to see some pretty strong evidence or arguments that
verified credentials would actually have a significant positive value to
Wikipedia before setting up such a system on our own, let alone paying
for it.

Really, I think we're working ourselves into a tizzy here over something
that remains to be proved will have any long-term significance.
"Scandals" flare up and die away all the time, many of them leaving
almost no trace in the press or history books. Let's not hurriedly
implement something just to maybe make it go away a little faster.

I'm going to be giving a radio interview tomorrow morning about the
Essjay affair and I plan to use it mostly as an opportunity to inform
listeners about Wikipedia's status as a tertiary source and our policy
of referencing stuff to outside sources. If people understood that
better this molehill wouldn't seem nearly so mountainous, IMO.

> The notion is that for anybody who would like their credentials 
> validated, they can pay a third party to do the work.

I don't imagine that setting up a system where Wikipedia editors have to
pay money out of their own pockets to gain status on Wikipedia would be
a good way to reduce bad press about us. :)