640:. Look at the big picture there; those books (with some exceptions like Ruth) are less the stories of individual people then the story of a group. The group comes together, forms an identity, has a purpose, falls apart, comes back together, strays from its purpose... It constantly debates how it should be run. "Moses will lead us" turns to "God dictates law, and these Judges interpret law" becomes "We demand a King" and eventually the group's original purpose is forgotten, God forsakes them, and they are carried off into captivity. All the while there are people saying, "hey,
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constantly rants and raves in the lunch room about how anyone who believes in God hasn't got a brain, and it includes the teenager with a can of spray paint who just improved your car with an image of his middle finger. It includes the person who can't spell, the person who thinks they are always right, and the person who
565:
Remember when I said Jimbo decided to seperate the Users from the Anons? Yeah. That was a mistake. DELETE USERSPACE!!! ALL OF IT!!!! Then get rid of
Usernames!!! Go back to the beginning when we were all Anons! When we were all = EQUAL! (not that I was here then). Do that, and the problem will
185:
Anyone can edit. See a typo? Fix it! Out of date? Not for long! Error? Fix it! Poorly organized? Not once you're done! False info? Remove it! Missing info? Add it! Needs a picture? Take one! Needs a diagram? Draw one! Wrote an article but don't know everything about the subject? Wait a
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Yes, Knowledge (XXG) is the 💕 that anyone, anyone at all, anyone from your 2-year-old cousin to your 78-year-old
Harvard professor has full editorial authority over. Yes, anyone includes that guy who stands on the street corner with the big sign that says, "REPENT!" and it includes that woman who
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The same group dynamics are at work in any and every group including
Knowledge (XXG). This isn't something that can be fixed by software changes, or rules. The flaw isn't in Knowledge (XXG) - the flaw is in people. It's in human nature. It doesn't make one lick of difference if we ban anons or
624:
is a much more serious-minded and articulate look at these sorts of problems when they arise in on-line communities than I could ever hope to write. It clearly and articulately makes the point I was trying, in a tongue-in-cheek way, to make with the above essay. However, it focuses on on-line
398:. But most aren't. Oh, and if a Fair Use image could conceivably by any stretch of the imagination be replaced by an image of a FREE T-SHIRT!, it should be. Unless the FREE T-SHIRT! is of a lower quality then the image, that is. In that case, we have to have a long and drawn-out fight over it.
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As
Knowledge (XXG) continued to grow, however, new problems continued to crop up all the time and the division between Admin, Editor, and Anon grew wider. The Admins and Editors didn't trust the Anons and the new users. Most vandalism came from them. The Editors didn't trust the Admins. The
499:
Meanwhile, despite the fact that
Knowledge (XXG) was now a giant among encyclopedias, and despite the best efforts of the deletionists, the amount of cruft had grown so great that, when combined with the amount of fighting, lion feeding, and burning going on, Knowledge (XXG) was also the
479:
that somehow men don't). It became the first, last, and only line of defense against ignorance in the
Civilized World. 78-year-old Harvard Professors everywhere found this immensely disturbing. Everyone else loved it. Hey! FREE T-SHIRTS!!! And Lions and Tigers and Bears and
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Some users used their userpage for the great and noble, "To Do List". Others used it to boast pridefully of their accomplishments. Others talked endlessly about themselves and their interests. Some ignored it. And some committed the greatest sin of all. They confused it with
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Yes, the forgoing was and is a humorous essay, but like most pieces of satire, I had a point I was making. We hear a lot about how
Knowledge (XXG)'s problems are "inherent in the system" and "design flaws". People are constantly proposing new rules, software fixes, and
609:
in college. Before that I'd spent the 19 years of my existence living among people and observing them (I'm pretty sure you've spent your life living among people also; but observing them is another issue). The problems and issues
Knowledge (XXG) is facing are
557:. However, I guarantee you that Step 2 has already been thought of and fought over. The problem with all previous approaches to step 2 however was that, until now, NO ONE HAD THOUGHT OF STEP 1!!! Ha ha! And step 1 must be undertaken prior to Step 2.
274:! Jimbo said, "In the encyclopedia, articles must be encyclopedic. On your userpage, you may put anything you wish. Of anything in the encyclopedia you may take of it and put it on your userpage. But of the unencyclopedic you shall not eat."
157:
The problem with
Knowledge (XXG) lies at its heart. See, the problem with Knowledge (XXG) is that its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. What is this one fatal flaw that at once makes Knowledge (XXG) a giant among encyclopedias
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rock band and software company that just formed last week in Mom's basement and hasn't done a concert, sold a record, or actually written a working piece of software yet should have an article. Likewise for the
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Admins had delete and block buttons, and if you crossed them you might be deleted or have your article blocked! The Admins didn't trust the editors. After all, if they were trustworthy they would go through
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always right. It includes people who know what they are talking about and people who don't, and people who can make anything sound good, regardless of the truth or lack thereof in the statement.
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As some people discovered
Knowledge (XXG) and began exploring it they were (for some odd reason best left known only to them) shocked beyond all reason to discover that certain articles (such as
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that they made up in school with their buddies. Therefore the people of Knowledge (XXG) sat themselves down and came up with the Constitution of the United Wikipedians (Often abreviated as
149:
Everyone knows that there is a problem with Knowledge (XXG). Not everyone agrees on what that problem is. No one seems to know how to solve that problem. No one, that is, except ME!
541:
So what, you may ask, is the solution to this incomprehensible problem I claim to have identified somewhere in the preceding gibberish? It's simple, I tell you! Simple! Quite simple!
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or a one revert rule or a twenty revert rule or no revert rule, people will still be stubborn, pig-headed idiots; whether they are right or wrong. We can say, "Knowledge (XXG) is
247:, and separate the anon from the editor." And it was so. Then he said, "Let us further divide Wikipedians by giving a "trusted few" access to special tools. Let them be called, "
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Anyone can edit. That guy who improved your car? He just improved your article the same way. Mr. Street Corner and Ms. Lunch Room are having at it on the article about the
656:
Myspace" until we are blue in the face - when you bring people together and say "this is what we are going to do" you have to expect that some people will do something else.
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294:. Most did some combination of all of the above. Oh, and we mustn't forget the Anons! They were forbidden to taste of the fruit of the Userpage.
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The problem with Knowledge (XXG) is people. The only way to "fix" Knowledge (XXG) and all of its problems would be to get rid of all the people.
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some Anons. But they had a rule that, while you could feed Anons to the lions, and you could barbecue Anons, neither you nor the lions could
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It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Knowledge (XXG) contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
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communities. These issues have been around for all of human existence and have been written about since some of our earliest writings.
54:
425:! This spectacle was so entertaining and popular that similar arenas were built all over the Wikiworld. These were named things like
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and prove their worth to become Admins! The Anons didn't trust anyone. After all, no one trusted them. Why should they?
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677:
This essay was originally written in December of 2006. It is now September of 2024. Knowledge (XXG) has in excess of 6
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while, someone will add to it. Made a spelling error and didn't notice? It'll get fixed! Anyone can edit, and it's
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articles. There have been a few more wars, but essentially nothing has changed. The problem is still human nature.
618:. These are the kinds of issues that arise wherever groups of people form, online or off-line, for any purpose.
530:. Oh, and don't forget the war between the people who counted those as one war and those who counted them as two.
225:
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with "wonnfeo hfor frfhibher frfrufh4 oerv04vr vr fu". And the Harvard professor has had it up to his neck with
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to be deleted. Others overreacted to the deletionists, unthinkingly pushing for anything and everything to be
448:
Some Wikipedians overreacted to the amount of cruft in the encyclopedia, unthinkingly pushing for anything and
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The point of all of this is simply that: People are and will continue to be People, and there is nothing,
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614:. They do not arise from the design or structure or rules or procedures of Knowledge (XXG). They are
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A completely gratuitous image of Wikipe-tan is entirely necessary at this juncture. Ok, so it's not
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not - people will still be people and will still act the same way. It doesn't matter if we have a
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gratuitous, as she is mopping, trying to clean up the ever-expanding mess that is Knowledge (XXG).
394:. Oh, and as long as "they" didn't include Anons. Oh, but some copyrighted pictures are ok. See
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This FREE T-SHIRT! is clearly of a lower quality than the copyrighted image that I can't put here.
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has equivalent illustrations for the equivalent article, as does my parents' 1970 copy of
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In the midst of all this fighting a new wind was about to blow... Someone had found...
522:. Next came the Userspace Wars. Oh, and all along there was the little matter of the
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17:
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61:. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.
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and they could have any kind of picture they wanted! Oh, er, as long as it wasn't
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553:"Hang on," you are saying, "shouldn't you do step 1 before step 2?" Well, if you
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Due to the wonderous fact that anyone could edit the encyclopedia grew and became
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And everyone just sort of looked at him and said, "Ooooooookay... whatever
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in an effort to fix the problems we are seeing on Knowledge (XXG).
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Modelling their great and wonderful Wikicivilization after that of
243:. So everyone edited from an IP. Then Jimbo said, "Let us create
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them. This made the barbecued Anons rather difficult to enjoy.
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382:)! After long discussion, they decided that Knowledge (XXG) was
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is supposed to mean." And then they did whatever they wanted.
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laughingstock of the encyclopedia world. Everyone agreed that;
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514:. Then the deletionists and inclusionists squared off for the
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who absolutely demands proof that the moon is not made out of
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As more and more people discovered the great and wonderful
667:(though that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try our best)
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User:Antandrus/observations on Knowledge (XXG) behavior
270:, a great sin entered Knowledge (XXG)! It was called,
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239:. And the Knowledge (XXG) was shapeless and without
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for all search terms known to man (though women are
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (er, encyclopedia)...
108:Such material is not meant to be taken seriously.
221:From what I can tell (I wasn't around then)...
197:. Your 2-year old cousin replaced the text of
101:material that is kept because it is considered
471:among encyclopedias. It became the #1 hit on
8:
349:, and last but not least, the all-powerful
310:T-shirt) encylopedia everyone thought that
632:people contained in the Biblical texts of
113:
413:, they decided that they should build an
580:And there you have it. Problem solved.
374:(as an aside, my 1991 paper copy of the
55:Knowledge (XXG)'s policies or guidelines
217:Previous efforts to combat this problem
7:
642:this isn't how it was supposed to be
628:Take, for example, the story of the
456:. Others built a big bonfire and
59:thoroughly vetted by the community
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370:) were illustrated with (gasp!)
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92:
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696:Knowledge (XXG):Randy in space
612:not Knowledge (XXG)'s problems
421:and Anons could be fed to the
209:. Anyone can edit and it's a
1:
506:So they armed themselves for
277:Or, er, something like that.
255:Or, er, something like that.
165:Knowledge (XXG) is the 💕...
162:a laughingstock among them?
586:Ok, so it needs more work.
543:Elementary, my dear Watson!
390:that is. Or illegal in the
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691:Knowledge (XXG):WikiBible
545:It's a two step process.
268:allowing registered users
520:War against Hope Part II
665:anyone can do about it
575:After completing step 1
510:. First was the great
415:Arena for Dismemberment
380:Encyclopedia Brittanica
376:World Book Encyclopedia
24:Knowledge (XXG):P&S
503:Something Must Be Done
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406:
363:
253:
146:
528:War against the Anons
524:war against vandalism
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477:rumored to know a few
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223:
144:
57:, as it has not been
419:Christian rock bands
417:; where non-notable
168:that ANYONE can edit
638:Books of Chronicles
99:This page contains
577:BAN ANON EDITING!
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266:Hand in hand with
251:"." And it was so.
199:General Relativity
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650:three revert rule
607:Political Science
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22:(Redirected from
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516:War against Hope
392:State of Florida
226:In the beginning
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616:people problems
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173:(Emphasis mine)
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126:in a nutshell:
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331:WP:Notability
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319:cool new word
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272:the User page
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537:THE SOLUTION
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411:the Ancients
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384:not censored
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721:User essays
673:Post script
589:So sue me.
512:Userbox war
396:WP:Fair Use
388:copyrighted
372:photographs
229:Jimbo Wales
153:The problem
45:This is an
622:This essay
605:I studied
518:, and the
493:completely
450:everything
77:WP:P&S
630:Israelite
484:, Oh My!
482:Mastodons
458:barbecued
405:The lions
343:WP:STUPID
245:usernames
715:Category
706:Suprise!
685:See also
593:Epilogue
526:and the
261:the fire
235:and the
211:disaster
103:humorous
69:Shortcut
679:million
662:nothing
469:a giant
339:WP:CORP
335:WP:BAND
327:WP:Auto
292:Myspace
233:Nupedia
203:someone
188:awesome
654:WP:NOT
634:Exodus
570:Step 2
561:Step 1
555:insist
549:Step 2
473:google
443:WP:RFD
441:, and
439:WP:MFD
435:WP:CFD
431:WP:IFD
427:WP:TFD
352:WP:CSD
347:WP:COI
323:WP:NOT
249:admins
644:!"
600:forks
423:lions
368:penis
313:their
241:users
145:Ding!
124:essay
122:This
47:essay
16:<
462:bite
454:kept
302:FREE
283:THAT
508:war
307:AND
160:and
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213:!
190:!
180:is
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49:.
26:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
