I am an on-and-off again contributor to Wikipedia articles, focused mostly on software, game development, art, martial arts and subjects pertaining to the Philippines. When I find time, I still try to put in some edits and contributions, and it can be really fulfilling when people are able to use knowledge and resources in the citations I dig up and are able to use and share the knowledge.
I encourage people new to Wikipedia to try to help and contribute. There will be challenges, often mostly in interacting with other users in conflicts regarding article edits, one of the primary problems being other editors not necessarily being subject-matter experts in the articles they enjoy editing and being from halfway around the globe, they might not be familiar with subjects of local interests, and sometimes dealing with them can be exhausting.
One of the Catch-22 problems causing this is that there are not enough volunteer contributors to Wikipedia and in the current system, it is the people who have contributed the most edits who have more authority and administrative power and not necessarily subject-matter experts like venerable MIT professor emeriti with PhDs and decades of experience. One of the unfortunate side effects of this, is that a lot of times, it is precisely these people that are very needed who are driven away due the occasionally abrasive behavior of some old-time Wikipedia users.
Despite all of these challenges,[1][2][3][4][5][6] contributing to Wikipedia articles can still be a very fulfilling and empowering experience, especially for people who can contribute better about subjects that are not very well-known.
If you want adventure and enjoy roller coaster rides, gird your loins, put on your troll-fighting armor, don your flame suit, harden your skin against grumpy old geezers and join the fray.
Scientia potentia est. If you enjoy Wikipedia, contributing edits as a volunteer is one of the best ways to pay it forward.
Your help is welcome and wanted.
More importantly, through Wikipedia, you can help change things and make a difference.
References edit
- ^ "Wikipedia in Trouble as Volunteers Leave". November 23, 2009.
- ^ Seraphina Brennan (January 6, 2009). "MUD history dissolving into the waters of time". Joystiq.
- ^ Report: Wikipedia losing volunteers http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10403467-93.html
- ^ "Slashdot: Contributors Leaving Wikipedia In Record Numbers".
- ^ Wikipedia 'loses' 49,000 editors http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8379566.stm
- ^ Karl Hodge (March 9, 2010). "10 of Wikipedia's wackiest arguments". TechRadar.
WikiProjects edit
 | This user is a participant in WikiProject Martial arts. |
 | This user is a member of WikiProject Computer science. |
 | This user is a participant in WikiProject Computing. |
 | This user participates in Tambayan Philippines. |