[WikiEN-l] Citizendium

[Fred Bauder]

> There is a set of check boxes to identify the area in which you are
> going to be writing.  There is no check box for "biography" which made
> me hesitate, so I checked the box for history.
>
> I don't need 50 words to state that my areas of expertise are in
> history, biography and genealogy.  I can say that in ten at the most.
>
> The response I was given back was not welcoming.  So apparently
> Citizendium has no room for critics inside the system?
> Criticism-from-the-inside, to my mind, is one of the most useful
> strengths that Wikipedia has embraced.

Larry Sanger is critic in chief at Citizendium. I think he pretty much
fills up the slot. I edit there, a bit, and, as I focus on what I am
editing and am careful to defer to any expert, have never had serious
trouble. I did initially say some mildly critical things on my user page,
but removed them after Larry reminded me that he wished to maintain a
collegial atmosphere:

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=User:Fred_Bauder&diff=100027867&oldid=100027826

I think that is a great idea, even a profoundly productive vision. I did
get blocked at first due to making a couple of edits to the article
"pseudoscience" which raised the question of whether psychoanalysis might
be considered pseudoscience.

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Pseudoscience&diff=prev&oldid=100031226

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Pseudoscience&diff=next&oldid=100031226

This resulted in a block, but one which Larry relieved me from

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Special:Log&type=block&page=User:Fred_Bauder

I assume he spoke to the blocking administrator. There had been no
warning or discussion.

Since then I have done all right, as you can see from my contributions,
working mostly on the article Medical error

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Medical_error

Which remains unfinished, but I believe will eventually have some merit.

When I work there I enjoy my work, but make no effort to play any role in
policy making, and, to be frank, have not really spent time thinking
about how Larry's vision might best be realized. You know, to use a
strange new formulation, it is what it is. If it is to succeed, first
class academics and professionals would have to contribute, something I
doubt is happening now, but I see edits to the article medical error
which seem to be made by physicians, here is one editor:

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/User:Robert_Badgett

I could certainly respect that editor's input.

Here is other:

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/User:Howard_C._Berkowitz#Who_am_I.3F

"I'm not a physician but simulate them on computers" (medical information
systems)

Another:

http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/User:Gareth_Leng

"I am Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences in the College of Medical
and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. I am a member of
the executive of Citizendium."

I'm glad I did this little exercise. Those three are a pretty good
editing crew, and two of them, at least, are certainly, "first class",
whatever that means.

I think, to actually try out Citizendium, you have to suspend your
upfront attitudes and immerse yourself in it; something I have not really
done in a though way, but enough that I can recommend giving it a fair
trial.

Fred Bauder