Just a point of information: Her name is Naoko Komura, not Naoki Kimura. -Dan On Mar 31, 2009, at 6:23 PM, Ziko van Dijk wrote:
> Hello, > A couple of days ago I have contacted our project manager in San > Francisco > who is dealing with the improvement of the usability of Wikipedia. I > have > done this interview for [[de:Wikipedia:Kurier]] and translated it to > German, > but originally it is in English and so I thought that I can also > send it to > this list. > Kind regards > Ziko > > http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Kurier > > *Kimura: Wikipedia Usability by Better „Ranking“* > > > *Wikipedia is difficult to edit, many people say, and Wikimedia > Foundation > encountered the problem by installing Naoki Kimura as a project > manager. Her > team will make proposals to improve Wikipedia Usability. In an > interview > with Ziko van Dijk she unravels test results and the next step.* > > ZvD: Dear Naoki Kimura, previously you told us that you would run > some tests > about the problems of our new users. > > NK: Yes, first results confirmed that new Wikipedia users find it very > difficult to link to the already existing community, to fit in and > to learn > the rules. Most difficult this is because the rules change and there > is no > clear authority. You don't know whom to direct to. > > ZvD: That is exactly the Wiki principle which made Wikipedia big. > > NK: But is it suitable to keep Wikipedia running? We lose a lot of > people or > scare them away even before they join, the statistics show us. > Wikipedia can > only go on by making the collaboration better. > > ZvD: So if I am a new user, what will change? > > NK: In fact, as a new user you already have only limited rights > compared to > more experienced users. You cannot vote, you cannot sight versions in > Wikipedias with flagged revisions, and so on. This must become more > systematic. So as a new user you will start as a „rookie user“, and > after > six months, after trainings and tests, you might become an „advanced > user“ > and later a „user major“. A bigger step will be to become an „editor > adjunct“ etc. In the end, you can become a „senior editor general“. > > ZvD: I see. And what about non editors? > > NK: You mean developers and admins? It will be the same or similar. > > ZvD: And the "commander-in-chief" of the three service branches will > be > Jimmy Wales? > > NK: Yes of course, that will not change at all. > > ZvD: So the word "edit war“ will get a totally new meaning? > > NK: No, there will be no edit wars at all! There will be no > quarrels, no > uncertainties, no cybermobbing. We will even be able abolish the > talk pages. > > ZvD: Because everyone knows who is senior and has what rights. > > NK: Exactly. > > ZvD: But will Wikipedians accept such a system? > > NK: That is funny, you know. I worried about that until I presented > the idea > to the staff members in San Francisco. They told me that they are > all Star > Trek fans and when they were children at play, they called each other > "captain“ or "midshipman“ or "commander“. > > ZvD: Naoki, I wish you all the best for implementation (it will > certainly > not be easy) and thank you for this interview. > > NK: Dismissed. > > --------------------------------------------------- > Ziko van Dijk > NL-Silvolde > _______________________________________________ > foundation-l mailing list > foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list foundation-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l