[WikiEN-l] "refactoring" signatures

Thu Jun 8 16:02:01 UTC 2006

On 6/5/06, Tony Sidaway <f.crdfa at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 6/5/06, Fastfission <fastfission at gmail.com> wrote:
> > People should be allowed and encourage to develop their personal
> > identity on Wikipedia
>
> Why?  Wikipedia isn't a web host, a blog or a social networking site.
> Those who are looking for such sites will find that there are plenty
> of those around.  There is only one Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is a project that thrives only because people want to spend
a ridiculous amount of their time on it. Developing a sense of
personal identity makes people feel comfortable, feel welcome, and
feel invested. As long as said sense of personal identity does not get
in the way of the goal of making an encyclopedia, I see absolutely no
reason to try and quash it. So far most of the attempts to cut out
"social" aspects seem to have done more harm than good, in my mind.

I've never seen any plausible evidence that things like userboxes
actually get in the way of the goal of making an encyclopedia, except
in the sense that trying to eliminate them takes months and creates
all sorts of awful falling-outs.

FF