As with spam, of course, dealing with the surface tide of shite that often arises is done our own time, effort and cost and not the offenders. I wonder how much handling the Peed-ia has added to PR bills internationally; I wonder how much time, money and resources are invested into politically?
One of the "solutions" that is often mooted for spam is to make the spammers pay ... or more broadly, make everyone have to pay for sending email just as they do for sending postal mail. It is often argued that this single step would knock the head on the spammers' industry, and probably would. At the very least, it would hugely change its financial appeal and reduce its quantity. Obviously, there are objections to paid email from other quarters.
So I was wondering, what if individuals had to pay to make their edit to the Peed-ia?
Surely, immediately, it would cut down a vast swath of idiocy and make individuals far more cautious about their manic phases and edit revision wars? If I had to pay, say, even just 5c per edit ... surely I would stop and think before I made them, composing them, and myself, offline first.
It would add the other benefit of giving the rest of us a huge amount of entertainment watching how much others were willing to throw at their current obsession.
• Having to register your credit or debit card when you joined would instantly reduce bogus or kiddie registrations and annihilate sockpuppetry or late nite drunken driveby vandalism.
• Having one's credit or debit card details held would instantly invoke some sobriety, as one would become instantly traceable and suable.
• Admin snitching or arbcom jockeying could become paid for services requiring cash payment down in escrow.
• The money raised could be used to pay for real academics, a proper editorial staff and professional, independent arbitrators.
I serious think individuals ought to be made to value other human beings time and energy and the lack of this, or the cheapness of destroying someone's life, is one of the root problems with the current model. It costs nothing to offend. Even phone stalking ... which is surely the precusor to wikistalking ... used to cost something (and be traceable).
Of course, this is unlikely to happen but it does raise the idea of invoking a virtual economy or currency, as with other online role play games, where individuals have to pay to edit but are reward for using <ref> tags, starting new topic, or by doing mundane housework. It would be difficult but not impossible to manage technically.
I don't see why not. In the old day, the crank and obsessive pamphleteers would at the very least have to pay for their pamphlets or photocopies. Putting a financial constraint back onto their mental ejaculations and soapboxing would add a seriousness to the causes which they are likely to take up.
Trolling or personal attacks would also be less attractive.
