[WikiEN-l] Re: Anonymous proxies (was Re: Desysop Morwen)

Mon Feb 16 03:26:29 UTC 2004

zero 0000 wrote:
> I think it should look like this (propery fomatted):
> 
>    In order to edit Wikipedia pages you need to log in.  If you don't
> have
>    an account you are very welcome to create one.  It is free,
> immediate,
>    and you don't need to give any personal information.
> 
>     -- then boxes for creating a username and password just like
>     -- on the account creation page.  After the form is filled in,
> return
>     -- the user automatically to the edit page.
> 
> This would deter more casual vandalism than any suggestion I have
> seen and be of trivial consequence for genuine users.  Is there really
> a good reason we don't do this?
> 

Yes, there are two reasons. Firstly, it's not a trivial consequence for 
some genuine users. Many people make casual corrections without logging 
in, and the deterrent effect against this would be the same as for 
casual vandalism. Some Wikipedians report having started with this kind 
of casual contribution, and say they would never have become active if 
there were barriers to entry.

There is also an inexplicable association in some peoples' minds between 
being logged out and being "anonymous", and such people see the 
requirement to log in as a threat to anonymity.

The second reason is that vandalism is easier to spot when it comes from 
users who are logged out.

-- Tim Starling