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Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

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Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#611

Post by dragonwriter »

ghaff wrote: post #606
kelnos wrote: post #572

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This part of the editor's process bothered me, too. Overall I agree with his premise and have no problem with what he's doing. In fact, I think he is improving Wikipedia with his edits. But changing quotations seems like a step too far. I think his practice of changing a quotation to a paraphrasing (where it doesn't really matter if the article includes a quotation or not) is fine (if a little obsessive). But actuall…

Fixing "it's" to "its" transparently in many cases is one thing. More significant changes to what someone presumably meant deserves a [SIC]. Something that's not wrong but isn't your stylistic preference? No way.

> More significant changes to what someone presumably meant deserves a [SIC].

“[sic]”, which is always lowercase, indicates something the current author views as (probably) erroneous or otherwise improper that is left unchanged in the quoted text, to emphasize that the author isn’t endorsing the usage/construction so marked. It doesn’t mark a change.

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#612

Post by BuyMyBitcoins »

plaguepilled wrote: post #227

>"Many people appreciate the work" This felt like an addition to ward of anticipated backlash. As if the author was aware their point might not be received favourably. Hmmm. I reject the argument that this term is bad because its origins are messy. Similarly a lot of the points put forward here seem like justifications for style rather than actual points (yes - even those ones about supposed clarity).

Going a step further, this person should know that those are weasel words and are very much frowned upon. [citation needed]?

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#613

Post by jtsuken »

matteoraso wrote: post #463
ezekiel68 wrote: post #414

I don't know the right solution to this problem, but I wish there were some kind of effective defense mechanism in open society against activist superminorities. Pedants tilting at windmills shouldn't be able to alter the cultural landscape this easily. I am aware that their problem and my problem are privileged "first-world problems". The seeds of the open society carry the germ of this pathology, I guess.

>I don't know the right solution to this problem, but I wish there were some kind of effective defense mechanism in open society against activist superminorities. Wikipedia is nothing but a superminority making the website their playground, though[0]. If you get rid of the superminority, the website literally couldn't function. The inner workings of Wikipedia are actually a fascinating rabbit hole to fall into, but t…

> Wikipedia is nothing but a superminority making the website their playground, though[0].

It's more like the minority of the minority does a lot of spellchecking and editing, but it seems, much more plausibly, that a group much larger than a minority does the bulk of writing.

Any discussion of Wikipidia on HN is incomplete without a reference to Aaron Swartz's analysis of how Wikipedia is written:

"[He] concluded that the bulk of its content came from tens of thousands of occasional contributors, or "outsiders," each of whom made few other contributions to the site, while a core group of 500 to 1,000 regular editors tended to correct spelling and other formatting errors.He said: "The formatters aid the contributors, not the other way around." [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz#Wikipedia

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#614

Post by theturtletalks »

itronitron wrote: post #585
theturtletalks wrote: post #561

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer this one: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

The small group doesn't have to be thoughtful (and they often aren't), they just need to be committed.

The strong commitment and resolve within a small group inspires others to join.

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#615

Post by kaetemi »

kaetemi wrote: post #565
mmcnl wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is "WP"?

Wifi Port.

It's the port in your Wifi over Data box, that hackers can connect their wireless Wifi cable extender to, so you can consummate all the exoteric phonography that the information highway is compromised of.

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#616

Post by ghaff »

dragonwriter wrote: post #611
ghaff wrote: post #606

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fixing "it's" to "its" transparently in many cases is one thing. More significant changes to what someone presumably meant deserves a [SIC]. Something that's not wrong but isn't your stylistic preference? No way.

> More significant changes to what someone presumably meant deserves a [SIC]. “[sic]”, which is always lowercase, indicates something the current author views as (probably) erroneous or otherwise improper that is left unchanged in the quoted text, to emphasize that the author isn’t endorsing the usage/construction so marked. It doesn’t mark a change.

I actually knew that :-) Busy day.

But, yeah, the basic point is to not change a quote unless it's some trivial mistake. (But you can flag it so that it doesn't look like you're the one who may have screwed up.)

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#618

Post by mxkopy »

ezekiel68 wrote: post #414

I don't know the right solution to this problem, but I wish there were some kind of effective defense mechanism in open society against activist superminorities. Pedants tilting at windmills shouldn't be able to alter the cultural landscape this easily. I am aware that their problem and my problem are privileged "first-world problems". The seeds of the open society carry the germ of this pathology, I guess.

The solution is to call it what it is - mental illness - and treat it as such.

Being a grammar nazi is one thing, but editing quotes to match a language that stopped evolving in the 1970s definitely oversteps the bound between quirky and actively harmful.

I'd even argue, in the vein of a sibling comment, that willing to label the activist superminorities that run things as mentally ill is very important. They're usually obsessive/perfectionist and workaholics, yet we're supposed to commend them and follow in their lead.

Re: Wikipedia user edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

#620

Post by justin66 »

yellowapple wrote: post #219
lolinder wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With all due respect, if you're not a native English speaker you really aren't in a position to judge what constitutes "better language". I speak fluent Spanish but I wouldn't presume to correct a native Spanish speaker on their style. I also wouldn't base your opinions of what makes for good English on the ramblings of one Wikipedian whose primary argument seems to be that they had to work hard to learn to use the w…

With all due respect, I am a native English speaker and I agree with the GP. I wouldn't go as far as the Wikipedian in question (I surely have far better uses of my time than to make many tens of thousands of edits over a trivial nitpick), but the end result does read better and I'd have a hard time justifying a reversion of such an edit. Also, considering that plenty of non-native English speakers read the English W…

> but the end result does read better

What tiny fraction of one percent of the edits would you estimate you have actually read?

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