If you owned Wikipedia, what would you do with it Options

[Peter Damian]

Picking up on something Eva said here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Iri...12#Wikipedia_II which has affinities with some of the stuff what was discussed here http://wikipediareview.com/index.php?s=&sh...ndpost&p=267006

[Zoloft]

First, I'd sit behind my big desk and put my feet up on it.

After a good toe-wiggle:

• Eliminate IP editing entirely.
• Establish a tier of editors.
  — Anonymous editors with accounts
  — Identity-verified editors (credit card verification or some such simple system)
  — Trusted Editors (length of membership, degree of involvement, reviewed edits)
  — Editorial Board members (paid staff, greatly expanded under my regime)
• Establish a tiered system of edits.
  — Edits confirmed by the Editorial Board (go up first and stay)
  — Edits by Trusted Editors (go up after a review by another Trusted Editor)
  — Edits by identity-verified editors (held for 24 hours, then placed in article with flag)
  — Edits by anonymous members (submitted to pool of identity-verified editors)
• Delete all biographies of people not dead at least twenty years.
• Forbid the coverage of current events.
• Hire some editorial staff from all those newspapers going out of business.
• Contract out the writing of a style guide and deep-six the MOS.
• Enhance certain edits with flags you can turn off or on to display these or not
  — Content illegal in certain countries
  — Content deemed offensive to certain large groups of people
  — Content of a 'mature' nature
  — Spoilers
• License some content such as rights to display some photos not available for free.
• Establish a separate Board for creation of content by experts in the field.

Also:
Fire the Arbcom.
Eliminate most of the drama boards.
Unlock a whole buncha IP addresses.
Drum out any employees who fail to pass a 'common sense' test.

Finally:
Pay a visit to Jimbo Wales, and hand him a gold watch. 'Go home and raise your kid, son.'

This post has been edited by Zoloft: Sun 6th February 2011, 5:59am

[A User]

[*] Delete all biographies of people not dead at least twenty years.

Yes with the exception of recognised political, military, religious leaders, and major prize winners like the Nobel, with their biographies vetted and protected by a specialist biographies workgroup. Only the workgroup can edit the article as it normally stays locked. Any additions or corrections to be made on the Talk page first. All other biographies can be dispensed with and removed from the project.

[*] Forbid the coverage of current events.

I would still have it but in a separate section away from the main encyclopedia.

[*] Hire some editorial staff from all those newspapers going out of business.

Wikipedia should have done this long ago. It needs a full-time professional proofing and editing group to keep articles to a high standard.

[*] Contract out the writing of a style guide and deep-six the MOS.

The style guide needs to be simplified and streamlined. I think a MOS is still important particularly for new users who don't know much about how to edit in the project.