[Wikipedia-l] Feature Proposal: Certification

Fri Nov 1 15:20:31 UTC 2002

> From: Toby Bartels <toby+wikipedia at math.ucr.edu>
> Larry has already suggested that Nupedia might act like this;
> well, we could have a site that covers Team Nupedia
> and a bunch of other certification teams too,
> if there's interest.

OK, two comments: (1) while I and others have often said in the past that
Nupedia is perfectly free to use Wikipedia articles, and even that Nupedia
could serve as a Wikipedia-vetting project, that is *not* my most recent
proposal.  Most recently I specifically said that we probably shouldn't
impose on Nupedia to act as a filter for Wikipedia.  The main reason for
this is simply that that isn't what the many good people who signed up for
the Nupedia project signed up for; they'd be furious if I tried to hijack
their project that way, even if it's a project that isn't currently going
anywhere.

(2) No offense but I really don't want any "team" of reviewers that I help
organize associated with other (nonprofessional) reviewing "teams" as
designated by Wikipedia.  That essentially defeats the purpose of the
proposal, viz., to use Wikipedia-created materials to create a *clearly
more credible*, mother-, teacher-, and librarian-approved resource.  I'm
not saying there couldn't be any other reviewing scheme in place, just
that the professional-level reviewing body should not "just another
Wikipedia reviewing team."  That entails that it should just be as
completely independent of Wikipedia.

Larry