On 08/01/13 20:30, Nikola Smolenski wrote: > On 05/01/13 04:47, Tim Starling wrote: >> For example, requiring phone number verification for new users from >> developed countries would be less damaging. > > I don't see how is this supposed to help (and I don't think most new > users would want to do this; I certainly wouldn't).
Phone number verification would dramatically reduce the rate of new user creation. It would especially discourage casual vandalism and casual good-faith contributions (typo fixes, etc.). Combined with disabling anonymous edits, and allowing phone number ranges to be blocked, it should reduce the vandalism rate by at least an order of magnitude. The case for restricting the use of semi-automated anti-vandal tools would then be much stronger. Since the rate of new user creation would slow from a flood to a trickle, constructive and friendly engagement with new users would seem both more feasible and more essential. So editor retention would be improved, at the expense of editor recruitment. I don't know whether the net effect on the editor population would be positive or negative. But my theory is that the people who are discouraged by phone number verification would be less likely to hold a grudge against Wikipedia than the people who have their contributions reverted and nasty messages placed on their talk pages. Thus, editor numbers will rebound after phone number verification is disabled. The editor retention problem is best solved by enforcing policies which are aimed at ensuring new users feel welcomed. But if enforcement is impossible, then a weaker alternative would be to implement technical measures which will make those policies seem attractive. -- Tim Starling _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l