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

[Charles Matthews]

David Goodman wrote:

<snip>
> That this leads to non-notification is only part of the problem.  It
> also leads to a failure to correct errors. When I see a bad speedy,
> unless I think it's really important, I leave it alone, and do not
> revert it, although I know it will result in people coming to that
> admin's talk page thinking there have been no problems. To a certain
> degree, that we get along is more important as a practical matter than
> that we get it right.  I'd like to find a way to deal with this.
>   
I think this set of comments provides a possible type of explanation of 
social phenomena on the site that is at least worth isolating. Rather 
than the place being too "scratchy" (as is sometimes argued) it may be 
that socially we prefer a "comfort zone" in which lesser forms of 
conflict (over things like this) are avoided. So those may be 
complementary issues, naturally, if people are too broad-brush in 
attaching the label "drama" to all types of discussion of misuse of 
admin powers. That certainly accords with my experience. It is sad to 
think that the culture we have may simply not be compatible with telling 
the truth about errors made in the application of admin powers.

Charles