[WikiEN-l] Jimbo interview

[David Goodman]

Very few academics are actually good textbook writers; they usually
need extensive help from editors  who know the art.

David Goodman, Ph.D, M.L.S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:DGG



On Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 9:13 PM, Jussi-Ville Heiskanen
<cimonavaro at gmail.com> wrote:
> David Gerard wrote:
>> http://www.bigoakinc.com/blog/interview-with-wikipedia-founder-jimmy-wales/
>>
>>
>>
>
> A very nice and reflective interview, waxing philosophical.
>
> The only regret I personally have about that one, is that Jimbo
> missed the one big opening at a knock-out punch vis a vis
> citizendium.
>
> Citizendiums "narrative" and "engaging the reader" style
> does in fact sound good in theory, and it could work, if the
> people writing citizendium were actually good at narratives;
> but in fact they are not. Mostly it falls flat in a stupendously
> comic fashion. Witness for instance the citizendium article
> on imaginary numbers. The narrative voice there grates as
> if there was a Sunday school supervisor reading text to wee
> bairns and smiling every three words, to emphasize that we
> so love this stuff, ain't it cute and cuddly, these imaginary
> numbers, stuff and golly-winks.
>
>
> Yours,
>
> Jussi-Ville Heiskanen
>
>
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