[WikiEN-l] CNN and the like

Tue Aug 5 15:15:48 UTC 2003

So wikipedia is now reaching 1 in 1000 web users according to Alexa, which
is amazing, but also incredibly scary. The proportion of IPs making edits now
is much much higher than it was a year ago when I first began editing. I think
this is cause for concern... 90% of these IPs probably won't come back, but if
this continues we're going to be continually peppered with edits by people who
don't understand the norms of wikipedia, resulting in a breakdown of community,
NPOV, etc.

I think we should take some steps to combat this problem, and here they are:

* Major spikes should be anticipated and highlighted in advance. I had no clue
this CNN story was coming (and maybe no one else did either), but for stories
where people know a spike is coming it should be advertised prominently
beforehand, so that regular hands will know a flood of newcomers are arriving

* Communication with IP editors should be improved. Personally I'm in favor
of simply locking them out - as has been pointed out before, there's nothing
really any more anonymous about an IP than a logged in user (maybe even less
anonymous), and it's much harder to communicate with IPs consistently.
Alternatively maybe forced talk pages (i.e. you MUST read your notes if you are
an IP before you can edit) or the like would be better.

* There should be longer intervals between publicity. The Google effect is 
getting hard enough to keep up with, and I'm afraid the process of 
indoctrinating new people with NPOV (which I think is the most problematic 
concept) and getting them to respond to community standards is beginning to 
break down as the experienced hands get overwhelmed by new folks. We need to
relax and consolidate what we've got before we try to grow more - otherwise
we'll just bloom and die off, so to speak, killed by our own excesses.

Just some thoughts,
Saurabh

------
"In any event, if the occupation proves long-lasting, the American soldiers,
 who are today carrying Iraqi infants in their arms, will eventually chase them
 down alleys, beat them and kill them, as our [IDF] soldiers do." 
 -- Gideon Levy, in Ha'aretz