[WikiEN-l] How friendly are we to Newbies? Update on the create an article as a newbie challenge

[David Gerard]

2009/10/30 WereSpielChequers <werespielchequers at googlemail.com>:

> I'm hoping that we won't have too many "trick" articles in this
> process, or articles that should be deleted but not by CSD (the
> criteria are "write an article that doesn't meet the deletion
> criteria".


Yeah, any such article ahs to be done in good faith, not an attempt to
catch people out. The test criterion is anonymity. Write as good an
article as you would in your known identity.


> I think we've tested the charge that a new article
> submitted to Wikipedia will be tagged for deletion in two minutes and
> is guaranteed not to last seven days.  But it would be a Pyrrhic
> victory to respond to the press that  It is still possible for a good
> article to be added to Wikipedia by a newbie, as we'd have to concede
> that enough get deleted by over-enthusiasm at CSD to constitute a
> problem - the press exaggerated the problem, but they didn't entirely
> invent it.  We've also established that neither welcoming nor
> wikification are currently keeping up with the flow of newbies and
> their articles.


I do, however, strongly suggest a writeup for the Signpost.

I'd also suggest getting the functionaries - which is the group on
Wikipedia of people who've had most editorial and administrative
privileges for a substantial length of time - to contribute their
experiments as well. Discussion on the funcs list indicates there's a
real problem. That way, the admin population can't dismiss it as just
you whining - but something the arbs are seeing as well, and consider
below the ideal of admin behaviour. We're after a cultural change,
after all.

[cc'ing to functionaries-en - funcs, you may wish to join the wikien-l
thread or contact WereSpielChequers directly.]


- d.