QUOTE(emesee @ Wed 29th July 2009, 7:55pm)
why be haten on Citizendium?
Because Larry was one of the few people with the clout to get a genuine improvement-on-Wikipedia-while-still-retaining-the-positives off the ground, and screwed up spectacularly. The combination of
an insanely complicated registration process*, the fact that anyone managing to navigate the registration process was (and still is) greeted by ramblings like
"Citizens, consider Recent Changes your home page!", and the sheer
poor quality of their articles, gave the impression of a site run by a pack of cranks.
Consequently, in that period in late 2006-early 2007 when Wikipedia was in serious danger of collapsing under its own contradictions, those most opposed to change could point to Citizendium, say "this is what will happen if we try to make these changes you're proposing", and people would take it seriously. Thus, not only did it cement the "there is no alternative" mentality in place regarding potential alternatives to Wikipedia, it slowed down the necessary changes to Wikipedia's governance, some of which still haven't been implemented three years on.
*("If you have a non-free email address that bears your name, please use it; e.g., university or work address. (You can change it to your personal email address later). Your email address will be sent a confirmation message once this request is submitted. You must respond by clicking on the confirmation link provided by the the email. Also, your password will be emailed to you when your account is created, along with login information. If you use a free e-mail address (e.g., gmail or yahoo), you must include some other information that helps us to confirm your identity. This could include a link to your (optional) BeenVerifiedâ„¢ page; credible webpages listing your (free) e-mail address, names of persons that we can look up online to aid in confirming your identity, current members you know, etc. You could even scan and upload a copy of an ID card (but we might still need to connect your ID to your e-mail address). Authors are required to provide only a statement about their personal interests and education, preferably a few hundred words, and not fewer than 50. Rough clues as to age and location might be helpful to other users but are optional. Please note: your biography must demonstrate that you possess high proficiency in English. Provide the name on your driver's license or other identification card. First name (given name) and last name (family name). Use normal capitalization, punctuation, and spaces, e.g., John A. Doe. You may use middle names and initials if you wish. No pseudonyms.")
What will kill Citizendium?
Nicholas Carr What will kill Citizendium? 
