Help argue for a Bikol Wikipedia

IRVIN Sto. Tomas first wrote about it here, and his second post, almost a plea, moved me to do my part.

The objective: convince the Wikipedia Foundation board of trustees to approve the development of a wiki in the Bikol language.

I urge you to do the same, even if, like Tito Valiente, you seem to have been burned by a past effort. I may not have Tito's elegant prose, or Maryanne's, or Kristian's jagged-edge poetry, but that's how his latest column at Vox Bikol strikes me.

If you are interested, Irvin's last entry has the how-to's.

Just for the record, this is how I justified a Bikol wikipedia:

The City Government of Naga has recently prioritized the standardization of the Bicol-Naga language. Toward this end, it will initiate the establishment of a local institution that will lead the effort. (See Mayor Robredo's Executive-Legislative Agenda for 2007-10 which is available here.) This is just one indication of a renewed, much bigger movement involving many other stakeholders to push the language's development, considering its influence over a substantial segment of the Philippine population as described above. A wikipedia on the language will be a powerful contribution to these efforts, considering that it will bring together Bikolano-speaking contributors that may be dispersed all over the globe but are joined together by the internet through this web-based project.

A fair warning: Notwithstanding its very useful toolbar, Wikipedia's approach to composition is not as advanced as Blogger's, which already has a wysiwyg option, or Wordpress.

But be not afraid: When unsure of what you wrote, simply punch the "Show Preview" button. It's not elegant, but it works as a trial-and-error safety net.