[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia Leadership (was NY Times article on gender gap in Wikipedia contributors} - repost

[wiki]

The notion that what new editors really value is the ability to participate
in policy discussions, and that any move away from that is "dangerous" is
just more nonsense of the libertine variety. We are building an encyclopedia
- remember that? The rest is just pragmatic sausage making.

What makes new editors stay or leave is a good editing experience. We
understand that there's many problems with that experience, and many ways we
might change Wikipedia that might improve it for them. However, we can't do
that because the current way of changing policy is defective, fights all
innovations, and privileges those wishing to oppose any reforms. But now we
are told that we can't change the policy-making process, because we
potentially violate the new editor's highly valued right to full
participation in said defective process?

What are we saying? "Wikipedia: the encyclopedia where everyone gets an
equal right to vainly bang their head against a policy brick wall". 

Amazingly a project that began with risk taking an innovation has now
managed to allow the fear of change and reactionaries to call the shots.
(Oops, that's not civil either!)

Scott

-----Original Message-----
From: wikien-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org
[mailto:wikien-l-bounces at lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Carcharoth
Sent: 02 February 2011 00:31
To: English Wikipedia
Subject: Re: [WikiEN-l] Wikipedia Leadership (was NY Times article on gender
gap in Wikipedia contributors} - repost

On Wed, Feb 2, 2011 at 12:24 AM, Ian Woollard <ian.woollard at gmail.com>
wrote:
> On 01/02/2011, David Goodman <dggenwp at gmail.com> wrote:
>> The attractiveness of Wikipedia is not just that anyone can contribute
>> content, but that anyone can help make policy.
>
> You don't seem to live in the same world as other editors.

Goodness, is that an incivil comment? :-)

FWIW, I agree with nearly everything DGG wrote.

Moving away from what makes Wikipedia different is a step that is
fraught with danger.

Carcharoth

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