[Wikipedia-l] Wikipedia in Chinese dialects

[Andrew Lih]

On Fri, 04 Feb 2005 00:03:02 +0800, Alex Kwan <litalex at slashyalex.com> wrote:
> I understand what you're saying and where you're coming from. But I
> can't help but see Mark's point, too. To me, you're coming across as, I
> don't want to let you have your pet project because my pet project
> benefits more people.

No, it's nothing like that. Unfortunately, Mark's mischaracterizations
have not helped. The point from the start - a Wikipedia with a single
contributor is a very lonely place. Make sure we're helping to nurture
sustainable efforts before sending onesies-and-twosies to start a new
edition.

I've been across Asia encouraging the growth of SE Asia language
Wikipedias, like Malaysian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Cambodian
Wikipedias. Some efforts have been successful, some not. Veterans on
this list know I'm all for encouraging more editions.

> So *I* will be selfish and ask you, so what if it benefits more people?
> Why should that be my concern just because it is yours? Especially when
> you're giving me the vibe that you could care less about my pet project?
> You're asking for my/our help and yet you're dismissive of my/our wants
> and wishes.

Most people seem to like working on Wikipedia because it benefits
others. One can certainly work on Wikipedia for different reasons.

It's not being dismissive. It's great if folks have the critical mass
to start a new Wikipedia, and that's why there's been discussion about
defining a "starting set" of articles, front page, initial
contributors, etc. However, Mark has an exuberance in starting new
language Wikipedias, often without any prospect of sustainability.

> *And* you're assuming that a number of us will be working on the
> "Mandarin" wikipedia if we don't have a Cantonese/Yue wikipedia to work
> on, which isn't necessarily true. I, for example, write better and
> faster in English and I'll probably spend more time on the English
> wikipedia if I can't help in a Cantonese/Yue one.

That's fine. The Wikipedia project has never hesitated to highlight
where help is needed, and it's never forced people to commit to only
one thing. The same is true here.

-- 
Andrew (User:Fuzheado)