User talk:Sj/structure
Self-awareness
Everything has gaps and peaks in its self-awareness. For instance, WP is very aware of its vandals, while quite unaware of many of its greatest contributors [there are many ways to flag a noticed edit as vandalous, but no ways to flag it as superb]. Other peaks and gaps:
Quite true, but...there is a way to flag a user that you think is doing good job on en: (not on other wikis as far as I am aware of). Martin brought back from MB this star thing. However, note that though is claimed to be a community "award", it is in reality given from one user to another one (so, not a sign of community recognition). This is also why some problematic users offer each other these barnstar, making them lose a bit of their significance.
A problem with this flag thing, is that while it is carried proudly by those who received one, it may be seen as a bit insulting by those who did not, while they have the feeling they did a lot of good job. Perhaps the solution would be that many more of these flags/stars are distributed, so that the issue is not so much whether you have a star or not, but the number of "approval stamp" you have. Perhaps would it dilute the side effects. In short, that is nearly the rating system some are thinking of.
There are at least two bad effects to this lack of recognition. First, users who are rarely told they are appreciated, little by little lose faith, and when a storm happens, they are much more likely to fly away, and actually sometimes really do fly away.
I'll take two examples. 168 was a good contributor during many months, even he had his flaws as everyone, but after his issue with Mav and Lir, he just felt his contribution was not worth, because not really appreciated.
Another example is Alex756. After a bunch of criticism, and a public tough comment from Mav, he left for a couple weeks. He came back, but dramatically reduced his contributions in some fields he would have had much input.
I suspect that in both of these cases, if these people had known more or better that they were important elements, it would not have evolved in such a way.
Often, the only moment used to compensate that lack of appreciation, is to ask the desperate to come back. This is good, but is it the only moment to tell someone you appreciate him ?
There is another side effects of the lack of voiced appreciation is this one : the most visible way to see you are appreciated, is to get a status. Then, simply getting a sysop, is a felt as a measure of appreciation, when it should be a measure of suitability. Similarly, some positions are given not so much for the ability of the person to do the job, but as the result of fame. This is highly unefficient. Plus, one may not refuse a position to another, without the basic implication that one is not appreciated.
So sad :-(