User:BilCat/Sandbox/OL

An Open Letter to Jim Wales
or, Why I'm leaving as a registered user, and may return as a dynamic IP vandal!

Mr. Wales,

I discovered Wikipedia in June 2006, and returned a number of time to read info on interesting articles. I registered on August 20 2006, and began primarily editing aviation related articles, tho I did branch out at times. When I joined, I thought I was joining a free encyclopedia - I didn't realize I was joining a quasi-religious social experiment! (I say "quasi-religious" as you use the term "sacred" regarding the concept of "open editing".)

If you set out to create a place where: Then your experiment has worked!
 * Serious editors are constantly harrassed by dynamic IP vandals,
 * Where admins ride herd on registered users who are "mean" to vandals, but do nothing about the vandals because they don't want to run off "potential users",
 * Where said "potential users" are seemingly more important that long-time registered users,
 * Where "punative blocking" against IP vandals is forbidden, whlie "punitive blocking" of registered users for violations such as 3RR are encouraged,
 * Where good ediotrs are leaving Wikipedia every day, yet no one in the FOundation seems interested in WHY they are leaving,

I'm under no illusion that mandatory registration is a cure-all to the problems on Wikipedia. But as long as it's not required, I'm not sure why I should strive to be a good editor, when my registration means the dynamic IPs can send personal attacks to editors who work on the pages I edit, accuseing me of being a vandal. Where they can follow me into contentiuos discussions on article talk pages, spout maliciousness about my actions, yet no one can stop them because they are using dynamic IPs, and admins won't block IP ranges for fear of blocking other (hypothetical) users. It seems to me my time would be spent more profitably as an IP, ignoring all policies and vandalizing and harrassing regular editors who tick me off, espessialy the admins making life difficult for regular editors.

There is an old proverb: a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. When you finally figure out how to apply that concept to Wikipedia, maybe your experiment in human knowledge will succed. Until then, WIkipedia will continue to be a joke to most outsiders as the free encyclopedia that anyone can vandalize! - BillCJ 16:22, 21 August 2007 (UTC)