WikiConference India 2011/Submissions/Badri Seshadri

The following is a rough draft of topics Dr.Badri Seshadri Profile is planning to talk at the conference. Abstract of the talk would be updated soon.

Crowd sourcing

Crowd sourcing - where it has succeeded and where the traction has not happened yet (looking at Cricinfo, but also Wikipedia English vs Wikipedia other languages, including Tamil)
Madness: Only a very small handful of people, with limited capability ploughing through a lone burrow
Passion + some competence: How madness slowly turns into few passionate (but not mad) and competent people coming on to the scene to build critical mass to the content map.
Flood gates open up: This is when both the good and average people turn up. But now we need some "systems" to encourage more good people and put a break to more bad people. How is this being achieved across.

What is the scope for Indian language Wikipedia? In particular Tamil Wikipedia? How will it get better to catch up with (though it will be impossible) English Wikipedia? What are the impediments? I would like to touch upon our experience in Cricinfo vs Association of Cricket Scorers and Statisticians (ACS) - the initial friction, how Cricinfo was despised, then how it was grudgingly accepted, then how it was enhanced by the inputs from professionals of ACS, how then it moved to the "unofficial" official statistical engine. Likewise, how "experts" scorn Internet content, how amateur enthusiasts screw-up things but when and how the switch-over happens.
How to recruit good and competent, but by and large reluctant experts to contribute to Wikipedia (in particular, the topic of my interest, regional language Wikipedia.)