Taking my lead from User:Rebecca's The 10 Random Pages Test, I decided to click the random article link ten times to get ten random articles (1 to 10 in the contents box below). I'll keep an eye on them, and try to maintain them. This is intended to be a personal experiment to capture my thought processes during article maintenance.
Salisbury Cathedral edit
Initial reaction edit
Well! The first random article is of something I happen to be familiar with! Been there several times, and taken a few photos (back in the 1980s, no idea where they are now). Usually, random articles seem to be obscure settlements in Montana with a population of 118. The Salisbury Cathedral article at first glance looks quite good for a Wikipedia article - pretty pics, straightforward text. --A bit iffy 08:06, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Mioko Fujiwara edit
Initial reaction edit
Immediately unclear what the article is about. The article tells me in the lead paragraph that "Mioko Fujiwara...is a seiyū" - you what???? There's some sort of tag somewhere you can slap on to indicate you don't understand what an article is about, but I can't remember what the heck it is or where to find it. --A bit iffy 08:06, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Legend of the Five Rings edit
Initial reaction edit
Not bad, but could be clarified. It tells me that "Legend of the Five Rings...is a fictional setting created by Alderac Entertainment Group." Have to read on a bit to work out that this "fictional setting" is not for a book or a film, but for a "collectible card game". Perhaps it should (very briefly) state what a collectible card game is. Overall, looks well-written. Some more images (e.g., of a game in progress) would be nice as I suspect this is a fairly visual thing. --A bit iffy 08:13, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Carlstadt Public Schools edit
Initial reaction edit
Damn: I realise articles on schools are of great interest to their students and staff, but I find them quite boring. I hope I can stay awake! Anyway, the article tells me that it's concerned with things in New Jersey, but does not actually state where New Jersey is; this is quite common with Americans: they assume that everyone knows where their states are (and I don't think I'm America-bashing by saying this). Also, what's "Carlstadt Public Schools"? Simply a collection (as implied by the plural "serve")? Or is it an organisation? Are the schools public or private? --A bit iffy 08:26, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Gressenhall edit
Initial reaction edit
I actually like articles like this: small, and very simple (like the village itself?). --A bit iffy 09:40, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Adam Holloway edit
Initial reaction edit
Not someone I've heard of. Anyway, a simple, straight-to-the-point article. Expansion possibilities: What subject was his Cambridge degree in? Who was he a journalist for? What are his personal politics, apart from Conservative? --A bit iffy 09:40, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Foreign relations of Azerbaijan edit
Initial reaction edit
Looks a good article so far, though not of something that I find interesting. Are there "Foreign relations of..." articles for every country, I wonder? --A bit iffy 09:43, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Oranienburger Strasse edit
Initial reaction edit
Not immediately clear why the street is especially notable, but perhaps this will become apparent. --A bit iffy 09:51, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Mazatec shamans edit
Initial reaction edit
Hoax? The sentence "Several researchers have commented on the difficulty in obtaining information, as the Mazatec shamans tend to be secretive and protective of their practices." rings alarm bells. If it's legit then some Wikifying needed. --A bit iffy 09:55, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Bo Bo's Chicken edit
Initial reaction edit
After five seconds I reckoned it's a candidate for deletion. The sentence "The establishment has no seating, as the food is dispensed from the window of a trailer." makes me wonder if the article was created as a joke. --A bit iffy 10:00, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Last sentence is a clincher: "Bo Bo's has also been rumored to be the location of many strange happenings and paranormal activity, including "gravel circles" in the parking lot akin to those of crop circles seen worldwide, as well as mysterious ghostly sounds of laughter and chewing." --A bit iffy 10:03, 1 July 2006 (UTC)
Maintenance edit
Have proposed deletion. --A bit iffy 10:16, 1 July 2006 (UTC)