[Wikipedia-l] Re: Idea for a new Wikipedia

[Timwi]

Angela wrote:
> On 4/15/05, Wouter Steenbeek <musiqolog at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>>… the existance of a Simple
>>English wikipedia justifies a Simple German wikipedia anyway.
> 
> That might be the case if the Simple English Wikipedia had been a
> success, but, in my opinion, it has not. The project still has very
> unclear goals, and few guidelines about which level editors should be
> writing at. It is not even clear whether the wiki is meant for
> children or learners of English as an additional language.

Exactly. I think naming is everything. "Simple English", to me, sounds 
silly, and an invitation to participate in it can even be regarded as 
slightly condescending. If it had instead been called "Children's 
Wikipedia", I would be much more willing to participate.

Unfortunately, "Children's Wikipedia" itself is ambiguous: Does it mean 
the content is aimed at children, or it is intended to allow children to 
collaborate? I fear the term "Children's Wikipedia" would attract more 
child contributors, which in turn might discourage adult editors because 
the social dynamics are vastly different (and probably "too childish" 
for most grown-ups).

These are just some thoughts; this is not intended to imply that I am 
advocating (or opposing) the creation or deletion of any Wikipedias or 
any other projects.

Timwi