[WikiEN-l] Category destruction

[Tracy Poff]

On 5/2/07, Marc Riddell <michaeldavid86 at comcast.net> wrote:
> My needs are a bit different. Repeating (for the upteenth time :-)): Joe
> Smith died from Cancer; specifically, liver cancer. I want to be able to
> call up all of the persons who died from cancer, then call up all who died
> from liver cancer - two separate searches - two separate lists. As WP is
> constructed now, to do this, both the Categories "Cancer" and "Liver cancer"
> must be entered in Joe's Article. It's really not that complicated.

True, but if we did that, where would I look for articles about cancer
in general? I'm thinking [[Paraneoplastic syndrome]], [[Radiation
therapy]], [[Breast cancer]], [[Liver cancer]]. If we did this we'd be
getting your [[Marlon Brando]] mixed in with my [[Metastasis]], and
nobody wants that.

I think that the lesson is that 'as WP is constructed now' isn't
sufficient to serve everyone.

I think that this sort of issue has been mentioned to you several
times. Did you have any suggestion as to how this difficulty would be
overcome, or are you only promoting that categories ought to work in
the way that is most convenient for you? (Which is fine, of course:
Quoth Adam Smith: "By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes
that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to
promote it.")

Tracy Poff