Getting from five recommendations to four: bury social networking?

I support adding Social features because I think that it has a large potential for bringing and keeping under-represented groups, particularly females.

Integrating into existing social websites is already happening. For example Wikimania 2009 had a Facebook page, as does Wikimedia Denmark. Many users have blogs. I think that finding ways to tap these features will boost user satisfaction.

FloNight♥♥♥16:48, 14 January 2010

I have significant issues with burying social networking as well - I am not a member of the task force, but I strongly support leaving it in... we don't know the outcome of the "cabal" issues, and we won't until we try it. We need to be open to experimenting with these things, and this is a request we hear over and over from users...

~Philippe (WMF)17:14, 14 January 2010
 
  • Shrug*

This task force was asked to form a consensus about 2-4 recommendations that would have the most impact. The other four recommendations came out of numerous discussions about what would be helpful, and have zero or limited side effects. Social networking represents a fifth recommendation that encountered significant controversy, and runs counter to the actual problem we identified: that there are actual factions who are coordinating to make Wikipedia a worse place.

I acknowledge that there is significant support for social networking, to match opposition. So it's incumbent on us to find a compromise:

  • We need to allow room for a fifth recommendation, and find a way to contain the cabal issue ... OR ...
  • We need to cut out the controversial aspects of the social networking proposal, and incorporate the rest into an existing recommendation ... OR ...
  • The supporters of social networking have to make a persuasive case that it is somehow a more valuable recommendation than the other four, and come up with the data to support it.

Is there a compromise that lets us salvage the social networking idea?

Randomran22:41, 14 January 2010
 

I started a recommendation for social features for the Reader Conversion task force. I'm using CH as a base but will modify it to address bringing the under-represented demographic.

FloNight♥♥♥22:46, 14 January 2010
 

Thanks FloNight. This is a compromise I can support, and I'll try to help out once you've taken a crack at it. I think there is a way to get the best from social features, without as many negative side effects.

Randomran23:06, 14 January 2010