[Wikimedia-l] Editor retention (was Re: "Big data" benefits and limitations (relevance: WMF editor engagement, fundraising, and HR practices))

[Yann Forget]

Hello,

I agree totally with Tim's assessments of the situation, and it is
quite the same on the French WP, and that's why I stopped editing
there.
Some people like power more than anything else (well, that's not
surprising, because it is quite the same IRL), including the growth of
the project.

Happy New Year to all,

Yann

2013/1/4 Tim Starling <tstarling at wikimedia.org>:
> On 03/01/13 22:46, Martijn Hoekstra wrote:
>> Editor retention programmes have some data there. Check wp:wer on en.wiki.
>> how the data for the other projects match up I don't know.
>
> Yes, that page describes the problem in detail. But the suggestions
> they offer under "how you can help" are along the same lines as
> policies that have been in place on Wikipedia since 2002 or earlier.
> It's been tried, it didn't work.
>
> The problem is, some people want to feel powerful more than they want
> Wikipedia to grow. Or even if they want Wikipedia to grow on a
> cerebral level, exercising power over another user is immediately
> pleasurable, and they don't have sufficient impulse control to stop
> themselves from doing it.
>
> It should be obvious that what is missing is discipline. An
> arbitration committee with expanded scope, with full-time members
> funded by the WMF (at arm's length for legal reasons), could go a long
> way towards solving the problem. Some users will be reformed when
> their technical power is threatened (be that editing or admin access),
> others will just leave as soon as their reputation is at stake.
>
> There is risk, because the editor population will probably be reduced
> in the short term, and it's hard to know if it will ever recover. I
> don't know if there is anyone with the power to save Wikipedia who
> also has the required courage.
>
> -- Tim Starling
>
>
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