[WikiEN-l] Webypedia - another doomed alternative to Wikipedia

[George Herbert]

On Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 5:14 PM, William Beutler
<williambeutler at gmail.com> wrote:
> As to the "natural monopoly" question, well, there is this resource:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_monopoly
>
> There are some markets where network effects and very high entry costs, such
> as building infrastructure, make it very difficult for competitors to arise.
> Regarding Wikipedia, the financial costs may not be prohibitive, but the
> social capital necessary to create a serious rival may be (just ask Larry
> Sanger). And the network effect should be fairly plain; Wikipedia is the
> place to be. (And I do not underestimate Google here.)

I don't wish to beat up on Larry Sanger, but I think we've seen from
experience that he may not be the best person to start a new project.

Social capital is a real issue, but it's a combination of social
capital of the person, of the idea, of the way the rules come
together, the way the community forms there.

I think even the most die-hard Wikipedians all have some longing for
"Maybe we could be better...".   I think there's a pool of potential
capital there to work with.

The questions are:
1. Who's trying to do it, and how well are they thought of by a
potential editor and reader community?
2. Why are they trying to do it - what is the differentiating factor
or factors?  How do those attract editors or readers?
3. What policies are proposed, and why?
4. Who ends up showing up in the early days, beyond the core team?



-- 
-george william herbert
george.herbert at gmail.com