[WikiEN-l] Trust vs. Credentials (was Re: Accountability:

[William Pietri]

Steve Bennett wrote:
> On 3/12/07, Erik Moeller <erik at wikimedia.org> wrote:
>   
>> Indeed, we should caution against a positive/negative system with
>> visible metrics. What I propose is structured, positive-only social
>> commentary that is not transaction-driven but relationship-driven and
>> is not evaluated numerically.
>>     
>
> What problem are we trying to solve exactly?
>
> Problem: Magazine interviews Wikipedia editor and believes his falsely
> claimed credentials.
> Solution: Caution media to check any credentials claimed by Wikipedia editors.
>   

Well, there is also the problem of a Wikipedia administrator writing to 
professors as a fellow professor. That was pretty bad in my mind, and 
could have also led to a public black eye even if the media had checked 
credentials.

For completeness, some also see using false credentials in an editing 
dispute as a problem. Personally, I haven't yet seen a case where it 
actually ended up harming the articles.


William


-- 
William Pietri <william at scissor.com>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:William_Pietri