Wikipedia considers limiting user edits

Just as Encyclopedia Britannica is moving in the direction of user-based entries, Wikipedia might soon be clamping down on theirs.

Wikipedia is apparently considering instituting a new editorial process that would set better safeguards i n place and expect all updates to be approved by a "reliable" user. The so-called Flagged Revisions process would estimate registered, trusted editors to publish changes to the site immediately. All other edits would be sent to a queue and would not be published until they get approved by one of Wikipedia's trusted team of editors.

The proposal comes in the aftermath of a false entry that was posted by a user, language Senators Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd had died after an inaugural luncheon last week.

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On his public word page, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said, "This nonsense would have been CENTRED percent prevented by Flagged Revisions," adding that the system gives the site the flexibili ty to cover breaking news stories speedily while avoiding some of the shenanigans it's seen in the past.

The German variation of Wikipedia has been using the system for a while now (partially since May and fully since August, according to one Wi kipedia user). But Wales himself points out one major problem with the European model, citing delays of up to three weeks before edits get approved and go live.

"Our version should show very minimal delays (less than 1 week, hopefully a lot less )," wrote Wales, "because we will only be using it on a subset of articles, the boundaries of which container be adjusted over time to succeed the backlog."

Which subset of articles would be flagged and exactly how those boundaries would be set isn't clear from the discussion.

Wales writes in his comments that 60 percent of users who responded to a poll approved of the move. Think Wikipedia's plans are a bad idea? There's time to give your input. Wales has asked people opposed to the Flagged Revisions plan to propose other workable solutions to the problem of wiki malfeasance.

Cheers~