[WikiEN-l] What to do about our writing quality?

[Mark Gallagher]

G'day Ray,

> David Gerard wrote:
[SV complains that new-comers to an article rarely pay enough attention to the flow of its text]
> > Actually, I disagree: content accuracy is more important than
> writing
> > flow, and reverting or even discouraging the addition of new
> > information for the sake of writing flow is very bad practice.
> This seems like the opposite of Slim's complaint.  She's not
> suggesting 
> that new information be reverted or discouraged for the sake of
> writing 
> flow.  It's about those people who make later changes without paying
> attention to text flow.  A careful writer can pay attention to text
> flow 
> when adding new facts.

It's the difference, I should think, between *adding* information and *including* it.  Suppose we said this about Isaac Newton:

  Isaac Newton was an English physicist best known for his definition of gravity, which
  was widely-accepted until the discovery of general relativity two hundred years later.

If I were to come across that article and say:

  Isaac Newton was an English physicist best known for his definition of gravity, which
  was widely-accepted until the discovery of general relativity two hundred years later.
  Also, he was an alchemist.

That would Suck.  But it shouldn't be reverted --- after all, alchemy *was* a fairly significant part of Newton's life.  The article *is* improved by the information (at this point it would be improved by *any* information!), it just reads worse.  Suppose a better writer were to come along --- SlimVirgin, say, or David Gerard ... or even this Ray chap --- with the same intentions.  She or he might change it to read:

  Isaac Newton was an English physicist and alchemist.  He is best known today for his
  definition of gravity, which was widely-accepted until the discovery of general relativity
  two hundred years later.

Much better, and with only a little more effort.  We will always have drive-by additions, especially from non-registered users --- this is a Good Thing, even if it makes our articles a little messy.  But those of us who know better haven't really any excuse for not taking the time to ensure our additions don't disrupt the flow of the existing text.  


Cheers,

-- 
Mark Gallagher
0439 704 975
http://formonelane.net/
"Even potatoes have their bad days, Igor." --- Count Duckula