User:Manning Bartlett/Wikiprojects ten years on

Thoughts from a ten-year perspective
Mabeenot asked to interview me the other day because I hold the (dubious) distinction of having created the Wikiproject format way, way, way back in 2001. Now whether I have anything worthwhile to contribute is another matter. But in light of my crusty old-timer status, let me make a few observations.

For anyone who joined Wikipedia after (say) 2005 it would be hard to imagine just how different a place it was in 2001. The server (note singular) would regularly run slow, and whenever it crashed there was a select group of USA-based editors who would react by simply calling Jimbo or Tim Shell's cel phone. We had no namespaces, no user registration, no templates, no utilities, no formal policies, no admins... (you get the picture).

The entire community was tiny - maybe 50 of us, rising to 100 or so by Xmas 2001. You could know every single editor. I remember the day that Mav arrived. (Sidenote - If you don't recognise Mav's name, or have never crossed paths with him, then that is a great shame, because after Jimbo and Larry Sanger, he is the single most influential Wikipedian there has ever been.)