> On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:51:13 -0500, Marc Riddell > <[email protected]> wrote: >>> It's really unfortunate that blacking out Wikimedia projects is > becoming >>> an >>> accepted method of protest. Maybe we should start keeping track of how >>> often different projects are blacked out, and for what purpose. When it >>> happened to the Italian Wikipedia, it was a first-ever event that no > one >>> thought would happen again. When it happened to the English Wikipedia, > it >>> was a uniquely forceful global statement that many argued might never >>> happen again for many reasons. Now Serbia, next who knows? >> >> Nathan, what problems do you see with this method of protest? >> >> Marc Riddell >> > > I am not Nathan, but the obvious argument is that a strong medicine only > remains strong if used rarely. If one starts using it on a regular basis > one gets adapted and the medicine does not have the required action > anymore. The same thing is here: one can blank out a Wikipedia main page > for a day and to exercise protest, but the protest is only visible if the > blanking is exceptional. If it starts to happen on a monthly basis, the > only reaction would be that people get upset because Wikipedia is not > available. > > Cheers > Yaroslav
I agree with you, Yaroslav, that repeated and indiscriminate use of the method would dilute its impact; and could come back to bite the Project. But I think it unwise and unfair to put a flatly negative spin on the idea. Marc _______________________________________________ foundation-l mailing list [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-l
