User blog comment:Toughpigs/WikiStickies - new feature launching on My Home/@comment-473563-20091219221406

It seems that you might actually agree with the idea of an inclusion list. Is that correct?

An inclusion list is precisely what I have asked for! If you review that post you will see that the majority of the post is spent describing this "inclusion list" and not the exclusion list.

As for the so-called exclusion list - yes, I agree that this is a workaround for a less than perfect algorithm used by the current extension.
 * This exclusion list is something we are already given (in the form of MediaWiki:Nowantedimages) and not something that was asked for in addition. Given enough time and feedback an increasingly optimized algorithm may evolve but I seriously doubt that there is a one-algorithm-fits-all solution. There will inevitably be wiki communities which have needs that are at odds with a centrally-prescribed algorithm.

Having said that I do still think it is preferable to enable all users to designate a page as, for example, "Nowantedimages" rather than restricting this ability to only sysops.


 * What does a contributor do when they create a new article but decide that this article does not need/want any illustrations?
 * Do they leave a note for a sysop to please add page "xyzzy" to the appropriate MW message? I don't think that is very productive do you?
 * So why not empower each user to add/remove pages from this list as they (subjectively) decide is necessary?

Like I wrote earlier - if you know of a more productive solution then please make a recommendation. It really is the end-result that matters and not the method.

I might add that the already existing tools (that predate Wiki Stickies) viz. are perfectly good tools to be using.
 * 1) Special:WantedFiles
 * 2) Special:WantedPages
 * 3) Category:Article_stubs
 * 4) I do not know of any existing list for pages with possible misspellings
 * I only wish that the newest tool (Wiki Stickies) would first help to reduce these pre-existing lists to zero member pages before distracting contributors with possible other pages wanting attention.