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Moulton
Etaoin Shrdlu: Looking at the web through reality-colored glasses

QUOTE
Now comes news that non-profit Wikipedia is spending $600,000 on a handful of consultants, advertising executives and others to help it orient its operations for the future.

I think that’s great, and I hope all these changes make Wikipedia better. But it’s worth noting that restricting access, insisting on editing and engaging professionals is a lot like what other encyclopedias and media companies have been going for a long time.

Milton Roe
QUOTE(Moulton @ Mon 31st August 2009, 2:01pm) *

Etaoin Shrdlu: Looking at the web through reality-colored glasses

QUOTE
Now comes news that non-profit Wikipedia is spending $600,000 on a handful of consultants, advertising executives and others to help it orient its operations for the future.

I think that’s great, and I hope all these changes make Wikipedia better. But it’s worth noting that restricting access, insisting on editing and engaging professionals is a lot like what other encyclopedias and media companies have been going for a long time.



QUOTE(Kim)
Mr. Kim said one issue Wikipedians would need to examine would be “the introduction of bureaucratization,” as represented by outsiders like himself. “It is important to me that my participation have a beginning and an end,” he said.


Sounds like Kim has done some Darpa consulting.

Wouldn't it be cool if Wikipedia paid $600,000 to some people who had some actual experience as Wikipedia editors, as well as real world credentials as futurists or buisiness people or net geeks of some kind. This is like the Army paying some Geek to fix the culture of the Army, or help it interface with the future, when he's never been in the military and has no idea what its failings are, already.

Doh. ermm.gif


EricBarbour
QUOTE(Milton Roe @ Mon 31st August 2009, 2:19pm) *
Wouldn't it be cool if Wikipedia paid $600,000 to some people who had some actual experience as Wikipedia editors, as well as real world credentials as futurists or buisiness people or net geeks of some kind. This is like the Army paying some Geek to fix the culture of the Army, or help it interface with the future, when he's never been in the military and has no idea what its failings are, already.

That's not how the military hires consultants, and it's probably not how WP will hire consultants--in the future anyway.

If the current contract produces a report saying that WP needs to become more like Citizendium, they'll probably just tear it up and throw it away. And in the future, they'll hire only consultants that are willing to say what they want to hear. Just like the military. (Sadly. I speak from some experience, after working at defense contractors who took millions of tax dollars, lied to the contract officials (and in one case I was aware of, bought them Mexican prostitutes), lied to each other, and wound up delivering useless crap.)
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