Deepening analysis of Wikipedia's gender bias (comment)

*I wrote this comment, and my update for our blog about it, last Wednesday but I didn't get a chance to share until now. In the meantime, my comment *has* generated thoughtful responses from the author and others, which is really thrilling! These responses encourage me to think about how scholarly commenting can be a fruitful practice in online spaces (which, as I've said before, I've been hesitant to engage in). -MSJ


*April 24, 2013 -- My comment invites A. Wadewitz, an academic, Wikipedia editor, and blogger, into a conversation about her April 9, 2013 Hastac blog entry addressing the gender gap on Wikipedia (“Wikipedia is pushing the boundaries of scholarly practice but the gender gap must be addressed”). 

The aim of my comment is to share my theoretical hesitations regarding her call for women and people of color to work for free as editors. I frame my critique by asking how one might deepen analysis she starts on the principles of Wikipedia (objectivity and neutrality) and extend to the ethos of volunteerism that underwrites the free labor of Wikipedia. It is my hope that relating my questions to an analytical lens she uses will serve as an invitation to a conversation rather than an attack on the value of her call or analysis.

The comment is around 300 words -- still a little lengthy -- but I think it works as an academic response. I found, unsurprisingly, that it is challenging to convey theoretical questions that have been percolating in my mind for some time into a conversational comment. But it’s also great to think that I’ve (*hopefully*) started a conversation with someone with whom I respect. I’m looking forward to further conversation.

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