[WikiEN-l] Could we use a chore wheel?

[Steve Bennett]

On 10/13/07, Charlotte Webb <charlottethewebb at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I think as long as we remain volunteers, most of us will edit whatever
> we want, whenever we want. If you want to work out some sort of


IMHO that's a simplistic, very self-centered view of Wikipedians,
prioritising immediate self-gratification over all else. Altruism is more
complicated than that: If you've ever seen a good, functioning volunteer
organisation, it's not "everyone, do whatever you feel like doing, we won't
boss you around", it's "we can achieve something amazing if everyone pitches
in. Team A, you will do X..."

It's in the nature of people that we *do* like working, and being told what
to do, if there is some reward. There are also plenty of
psychogical/anthorphological/sociological theories to explain why the more
we work for something, the more we desire that something. So, the harder we
work for Wikipedia, the more we will value Wikipedia - and in turn, the
harder we will work for it. Presumably the converse is that if we tell
people that we don't value Wikipedia enough to impinge upon their personal
freedoms, then they in turn are going to value it less.

brownie point system for those whom you entice to work in the least
> glamorous areas of the encyclopedia, it might be fun enough for some
> people to play along with, but Wikipedians generally prefer to be
> self-directed.


That's a very big generalisation. I think "Wikipedians" are an extremely
diverse group. Plenty could be co-opted to "work" in a non self-interested
way, if the right approach could be found.

Personal example: I tend to create a lot of stubs. However, I'm stimulated
to create them in specific areas when there is a clear worklist to go from,
like
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Missing_encyclopedic_articles/frSo,
clearly cut out work with definable milestones and measurable progress
work well. The "chore wheel" could work, but it would have to be highly
visible, and with social rewards. It should also probably not be measured in
hours, but in work accomplished.

Steve