[WikiEN-l] Is Wikipedia dying?

[Ken Arromdee]

On Fri, 6 Nov 2009, Surreptitiousness wrote:
> Regardless of whether
> an error is just an error or also a representation of something, it
> still needs fixing. So fix it.

But since the complaint isn't just "Wikipedia has one error", fixing the error
doesn't actually resolve the complaint.  it only resolves the most visible
sign of the complaint, without resolving the underlying problem that's
really what's being complained about.

> I also hadn't realised
> the idea of BLP was to constantly watch the article to make sure the
> "fix" stays.

It's not the idea of BLP, it's a problem related to BLP.  If you tell someone
with a bad BLP to fix the article themselves, they have to watch it for the
rest of their life to make sure it stays fixed.  That's one reason why the
answer to a BLP problem is *not* "fix it yourself".

> The fastest way to beat a rules lawyer
> is to point out their mistake, check with a couple of other people and
> carry on as normal.

An outside who just tries to correct an error in a Wikipedia article and
runs into a rules lawyer is not going to know enough to be able to point out
their mistake.  Despite claims otherwise, Wikipedia is a bureaucracy.
Beating the rules lawyer is *hard*.  It takes *experience*.  You can't just
casually do it.