The Wikipedia Review: A forum for discussion and criticism of Wikipedia
Wikipedia Review Op-Ed Pages

Welcome, Guest! ( Log In | Register )

 
Reply to this topicStart new topic
> WP:DRAMA, It's not even wrong
Moulton
post Sun 6th June 2010, 9:53am
Post #1


Anthropologist from Mars
*********

Group: Contributors
Posts: 10,220
Joined: Mon 29th Oct 2007, 9:56pm
From: Greater Boston
Member No.: 3,670

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



WP:Drama

QUOTE(Opening paragraph)
Much of Wikipedia's success is attributable to it being open to contributions from all. However, this openness sometimes attracts people who seek to exploit the site as a launchpad for unnecessary conflict and strife; in other words, drama. As with trolling, drama is a negative form of interaction that harms and destabilizes online communities. As with trolling the goal of those seeking to create and expand drama is to provoke a reaction. Unlike trolling the goal of drama is to confuse and divide the community in order to weaken the community's policies, gain support for a cause or policy interpretation, or serve some other goal such as driving away contributors.

According to Ed Poor and FeloniousMonk (who created the page two years ago), "Drama is the unnecessary creation, prolongation, and/or spreading of conflict and strife."

It's a remarkable essay, and it's not even wrong.

Discuss.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Kelly Martin
post Sun 6th June 2010, 3:17pm
Post #2


Bring back the guttersnipes!
********

Group: Regulars
Posts: 3,270
Joined: Sun 22nd Jun 2008, 4:41am
From: EN61bw
Member No.: 6,696



QUOTE(Moulton @ Sun 6th June 2010, 4:53am) *
According to Ed Poor and FeloniousMonk (who created the page two years ago), "Drama is the unnecessary creation, prolongation, and/or spreading of conflict and strife."

It's a remarkable essay, and it's not even wrong.

Discuss.
It's also ironic, given the degree to which both Ed Poor and FeloniousMonk tended to get involved in extended drama. Ed, I think, was relatively innocent; his main motivation was to spread the Good Word of his religious order, and merely got involved in drama because he was also possessed of an arrogant belief that he was Right, and action in defense of that which is Right is never inappropriate. FeloniousMonk, on the other hand, I believe deliberately gravitated to drama, seeking it out and engaging in it for its own sake.

One of Wikipedia's leading social functions has been to prove that irony is not dead; here is yet another instance of its doing so.

The main problem with the essay is that it identifies drama as a problem but fails in understanding that drama is a symptom of dysfunctional governance. Rather than acknowledging that the high levels of drama in Wikipedia are due to its ineffective community governance, drama is treated as a personal failing of those who engage in it. The reality is that, because Wikipedia lacks a meaningful venue for the orderly and effective settlement of grievances, people increasingly instead turn to public dramatics as a way to gain attention and sympathy for what they believe is mistreatment. This essay declares that involvement in drama is the failing of the actor, not of the system, and therefore perpetuates the broken system that generates most of the drama.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Emperor
post Sun 6th June 2010, 5:30pm
Post #3


Try spam today!
*******

Group: Regulars
Posts: 1,833
Joined: Sat 21st Jul 2007, 4:09pm
Member No.: 2,042



Exactly how not to get somebody to calm down:

QUOTE
First and foremost, don't feed the trolls (sometimes abbreviated "DFTT"). Denying troublemakers and their audience a show by staying strictly on the topic of their behavior and not the content of their comments takes away their ability to spread the drama.


The rest of this is so infused with Wikipediot thinking I don't even know where to begin. It's useful as a concise, classic example of many things wrong with their brains.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
EricBarbour
post Sun 6th June 2010, 10:22pm
Post #4


blah
*********

Group: Regulars
Posts: 5,919
Joined: Mon 25th Feb 2008, 2:31am
Member No.: 5,066

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



The main difference between Wikipedia and 4chan:

4chan is a troll haven. It has no pretenses.

Wikipedia is a troll haven that absolutely refuses to admit to this basic fact.
Thus, it's saturated with pretenses.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Moulton
post Sun 6th June 2010, 10:54pm
Post #5


Anthropologist from Mars
*********

Group: Contributors
Posts: 10,220
Joined: Mon 29th Oct 2007, 9:56pm
From: Greater Boston
Member No.: 3,670

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



QUOTE(Kelly Martin @ Sun 6th June 2010, 11:17am) *
The main problem with the essay is that it identifies drama as a problem but fails in understanding that drama is a symptom of dysfunctional governance.

Precisely so.

I suspect Paul Mitchell never read any Dostoevsky.

Of course, neither did I, but somewhere along the way I caught on to what literate scholars have known for a long time.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Milton Roe
post Mon 7th June 2010, 12:00am
Post #6


Known alias of J. Random Troll
*********

Group: Regulars
Posts: 10,209
Joined: Thu 28th Feb 2008, 1:03am
Member No.: 5,156

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



QUOTE(Moulton @ Sun 6th June 2010, 3:54pm) *

QUOTE(Kelly Martin @ Sun 6th June 2010, 11:17am) *
The main problem with the essay is that it identifies drama as a problem but fails in understanding that drama is a symptom of dysfunctional governance.

Precisely so.

I suspect Paul Mitchell never read any Dostoevsky.

Of course, neither did I, but somewhere along the way I caught on to what literate scholars have known for a long time.

That it's goddamn hard to read Russian?
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Moulton
post Mon 7th June 2010, 2:03am
Post #7


Anthropologist from Mars
*********

Group: Contributors
Posts: 10,220
Joined: Mon 29th Oct 2007, 9:56pm
From: Greater Boston
Member No.: 3,670

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



Almost as hard as reading Awbrey.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Subtle Bee
post Mon 7th June 2010, 2:16am
Post #8


melli fera, fera...
****

Group: Inactive
Posts: 340
Joined: Tue 9th Mar 2010, 3:06pm
Member No.: 17,787



QUOTE(Moulton @ Sun 6th June 2010, 7:03pm) *

Almost as hard as reading Awbrey.

In Soviet Union, Awbrey has hard time reading you!
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Moulton
post Mon 7th June 2010, 2:35am
Post #9


Anthropologist from Mars
*********

Group: Contributors
Posts: 10,220
Joined: Mon 29th Oct 2007, 9:56pm
From: Greater Boston
Member No.: 3,670

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



Almost as hard as finding the Soviet Union any more.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Moulton
post Mon 7th June 2010, 2:56am
Post #10


Anthropologist from Mars
*********

Group: Contributors
Posts: 10,220
Joined: Mon 29th Oct 2007, 9:56pm
From: Greater Boston
Member No.: 3,670

WP user page - talk
check - contribs



Here's another essay and interview that's not even wrong...

Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia, and the Personal Democracy Forum

Have at it.
User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post
Kwork
post Thu 10th June 2010, 10:01pm
Post #11


Senior Member
****

Group: Special Contributors
Posts: 405
Joined: Sat 23rd Jan 2010, 3:47pm
Member No.: 16,782



QUOTE(Moulton @ Sun 6th June 2010, 9:53am) *

WP:Drama

QUOTE(Opening paragraph)
Much of Wikipedia's success is attributable to it being open to contributions from all. However, this openness sometimes attracts people who seek to exploit the site as a launchpad for unnecessary conflict and strife; in other words, drama. As with trolling, drama is a negative form of interaction that harms and destabilizes online communities. As with trolling the goal of those seeking to create and expand drama is to provoke a reaction. Unlike trolling the goal of drama is to confuse and divide the community in order to weaken the community's policies, gain support for a cause or policy interpretation, or serve some other goal such as driving away contributors.

According to Ed Poor and FeloniousMonk (who created the page two years ago), "Drama is the unnecessary creation, prolongation, and/or spreading of conflict and strife."

It's a remarkable essay, and it's not even wrong.

Discuss.


Well, the very first sentence presents some problems. If it said instead, for example, that 'Wikipedia is what it is today because any idiot can edit it' then I would agree.

If 'success' means, a good quality encyclopedia, I don't see it. If 'success' means being the first hit on practically any search, than they have a success.

As for "being open to contributions from all", having been indefed four time in two years, I am disinclined to agree. Basicly "drama", as used here, means any Wikipedia editor who is inclined to complain about shitty treatment, deserves wiki-floggings, and if that does not convince them to shut up: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...era-Calbo-2.jpg

User is offlineProfile CardPM
Go to the top of the page
+Quote Post

Reply to this topicStart new topic
1 User(s) are reading this topic (1 Guests and 0 Anonymous Users)
0 Members:

 

-   Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 23rd 5 13, 1:56pm