[WikiEN-l] sent to the NYTimes Magazine

[Steven Walling]

Argh! I was gonna include teen admins, I forgot in my rush.

On Feb 3, 2008 5:49 PM, <gwern0 at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 2008.02.03 14:38:53 -0800, Steven Walling <steven.walling at gmail.com>
> scribbled 1.4K characters:
> > I just sent this to the NYT Magazine Letters to the Editor. I doubt it
> will
> > be published, but it's a discussion I'd like to have, so here it is:
> >
> > In response to:
> > Virginia Heffernan's *My Wired Youth*
> > <
> http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/magazine/03wwln-medium-t.html&OQ=_rQ3D1Q26refQ3Dmagazine&OP=cc19fd9Q2FQ22dSQ3AQ22rHRCeHHv5Q225Q7CQ7CfQ22Q7C5Q22Q7CJQ22i,_,yQ25tSQ22Q7CJddWtNiSrQ25%29iNvFMviW
> >
> > in the Sunday, Feb 3rd edition of the magazine.
> >
> > Virginia Heffernan's response to the PBS Documentary "Growing Up Online"
> > immediately made me consider the impact of the community surrounding the
> > online encyclopedia Wikipedia. On Wikipedia, unlike so much of the web,
> > youth are simultaneously welcomed, protected and encouraged to
> contribute in
> > equal measure with adults. The accounts of predatory adults are blocked
> > indefinitely and without question. The site's founder, Jimmy Wales, has
> been
> > quoted as saying,"I don't care if they're a high school kid or a Harvard
> > professor; it's the work that matters." In contributing content, the
> voices
> > of minors are given equal weight with adults, and age discrimination is
> > considered inappropriate. This is exactly the kind of "growing up
> online"
> > that needs to be recognized as wholly beneficial. It amazes me that
> whenever
> > the media speaks on child participation in online communities, they
> neglect
> > one that is 75,000 members strong.
> >
> > - VanTucky
>
> Personally, I would've put more emphasis on youngsters in leadership
> positions eg. Ilyanep becoming bureaucrat at 11 (right?), all the teenaged
> admins, the FA writers, and so on. Show, don't tell.
>
> --
> gwern
> security ISEP DRA Bugs Samford jya. 170kt enigma Asset ISSC
>
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