[OSM-talk] Nice problem to have

[Toby Murray]

On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 9:39 AM, Tom MacWright <tom at macwright.org> wrote:
> Making 60 changesets, spending a lot of time editing OpenStreetMap, and
> going from being a public critic of the maps (versus Google Maps, of course)
> to a public advocate is a big deal, even if it's just one person.
>
> A 52% active user percentage isn't terribly low: it's similar to services
> like twitter.
>
> What's the point of being so dismissive of new users, and pessimistic on
> whether they'll continue contributing? Why not actually try to encourage
> people to contribute and make it easier for them, rather than scoffing at
> their edits of 'just their own neighborhoods': that's where everyone starts,
> after all.

I agree and wasn't trying to be pessimistic. I was just pointing out
that being dismissive of these new users from the recent publicity
we've gotten is silly because they are just like any new OSM user.
They're all good. The more people that make their first edit, the more
will make their 60th no matter where they come from!

Toby

Toby