Talk:Archive:The Big Write

Can author's make requests?

Just that question. Stephen Ewen 19:19, 23 February 2007 (CST)

Make them and see what happens :) Robert Tito | Talk 19:40, 23 February 2007 (CST)

It might be a good idea to have a section in the Big Write page where authors can make 1 to 3 requests. While I would not wish to push for anything and thus color an editor's independent judgment in selecting their 3 to 5 articles, it could be helpful for editors in making their selections to see which articles present author's are willing to make credible starts on. This could be motivating for authors. ;-) I will put in for Globalization. I have another I could do but I know there is no editor yet present who could authenticate it. Stephen Ewen 19:42, 23 February 2007 (CST)

I guess it's a request for a review, in that case. Sure, I don't see why not...it's just that, then, we need to tell editors that we want them to look over the requested articles to see if there are any they want to review, and we need to make rules for this sort of game. They won't be complicated, but then, the rules for the Big Write aren't complicated. Anyway, this could be a Big Review--which might end up being more successful than the Big Write. --Larry Sanger 21:27, 23 February 2007 (CST)

My issue is to try to coordinate any articles authors write as those where editors exist who can review and perhaps approve them, as well as the other way around. In that way, when done from both directions, the end result will hopefully be a larger number of total articles from this initiative. :-) Stephen Ewen 21:29, 23 February 2007 (CST)

Well, if you can add another section that says "Article suggestions from authors" or some such thing, and a brief explanation in both instruction sections, that fits in with the rest of the instructions...please do. --Larry Sanger 23:36, 23 February 2007 (CST)

Alright, I did so. I also copyedited the whole thing. Just revert if you do not like it, no hard feelings. Stephen Ewen 05:02, 24 February 2007 (CST)

Stephen, thanks for the additions. Just a few notes on my changes. Bullet points do not make text more readable. Usually, particularly as used in corporate documents and Wikipedia, they make it less readable. "Blessed" may not be a perfect description for what we want editors to do, but it is definitely better than "Validated," because the latter carries with it implications of fact-checking and approval that "Blessed" does not. When writing instructions, less is more. Frequently, it is more confusing to tell people what will be obvious to them, partly because they won't be attracted to read the flabby verbiage, partly because they think you might be saying something subtle when you're not. Finally, when writing both instructions and articles, try to remain a human being, with a soul and interesting, idiosyncratic ways of saying things. It makes the results much more interesting. I commend Nancy Sculerati's work to you as an example. --Larry Sanger 08:54, 24 February 2007 (CST)

Your points on avoiding stating the obvious or easily inferred are clearly very well-taken and I will definitely keep them in mind in the future. Wow, I am immensely thankful for Nancy's "nack" at incorporating a personable tone in encyclopedia articles - what a breath of fresh air! I am very glad to see that "tone" becoming part of the culture here. It, too, is an adjustment I am learning. :-) I hope we "softly" codify such a tone in CZ's "manual of style". The tone is quite a significant change for Wikipedians coming over to the CZ project. At WP, it is shunned as "editorializing". But the tone is part of the reason why I have prior proposed that articles go through an official "style" authentication phase by copyeditors before being approved. Such a tone, particularly if uniform, will be a significant but perhaps underestimated part of what makes us "unique". Stephen Ewen 02:25, 25 February 2007 (CST)

why not in stead of validate use "okayed", more obvious it is more friendly used and less fact-checked-based. Robert Tito | Talk 09:15, 24 February 2007 (CST)

Good idea, Rob. I'll make the change, and then announce the availability of author suggestions. --Larry Sanger 09:20, 24 February 2007 (CST)

"Is obligated" connotes a moral duty and sounds needlessly too strong and thus potentially off-putting to me. I prefer "committed". Stephen Ewen 02:04, 25 February 2007 (CST)

These comments about 'tone' and 'nack' are marvellous. Ok'd is brilliant. Setting the CZ 'tone' should be an aspiration in all our articles and guidelines. The debate about 'Constable' is part of it. The Boy from Oz David Tribe 07:27, 25 February 2007 (CST)

Categories

Shouldn't CZ local categories be distinguished from 'external' categories by prepending with 'CZ'? Thus Category:Big Write becomes Category:CZ Big Write. Neville English | Talk 07:09, 25 February 2007 (CST)

One would well think so, but probably not, because there will probably be no "internal" categories. "CZ Live", "CZ Authors", etc., are (as it turns out) redundant. --Larry Sanger 11:03, 26 February 2007 (CST)

Well, this isn't working so well!

In all honesty we must recognize that few people are signing up to write as part of this initiative, and even fewer are actually getting to work. So the Big Write isn't working nearly as well as The Big Speedydelete, and I think there are two reasons it isn't. The first is that the incentive of editor review is simply not a huge inducement for most people. Who knows? It might even be a disincentive. The second is that to work really well, the sort of successful mass initiative that the Big Speedydelete represented had to be clearly open to one and all--whereas, by having editors nominate topics, we restricted participation to only those who could and were willing to write well on those topics.

I suggest we declare this approach a failure, archive the page, apologize to the editors, and try a new approach.

So here's the new approach I suggest: our collective goal in this game is to develop as many basic articles as possible. Our individual goals are to