fredbaud@waterwiki.info wrote:
As you know, Fred, communities are prone to capture by special interest groups.
Yes, and it will be a miracle of the first order if Wikipedia escapes capture by some group.
I don't think it will be a miracle at all. It'll be a direct consequence of Jimbo and the various Foundation trustees saying that certain things are non-negotiable. That there are lines that we will never cross. And meaning it, of course. Then, capturing the community doesn't achieve much.
But if they start to believe that the community is as important or more important than the encyclopedia, then special-interest capture would be a big risk.
William
P.S. For those just tuning in, I'm not saying the community is unimportant. It's important like your heart is important: You should certainly take stellar care of it. But if it comes down to it, you should take a heart transplant over dying.