Hi! I'm Tavix and I've been helping to build and improve this Encyclopedia since 2007. I consider myself a "navigational gnome" because most significant contributions have been to do my part to improve the navigation of Wikipedia for our readers. These include adding or modifying redirects, disambiguation pages, indexes, and hatnotes. I've tried to add WP:RCATs where possible and have fixed broken redirects-to-sections. I've also found a niche contributing to Anthroponymy indexes, where I've noticed that a significant number of name indexes need to be updated and still other names have yet to be created. The project has a huge scope and not enough help and it's been one of my priorities lately.
Outside of my navigational work, I also enjoy contributing to articles and occasionally writing one myself when I stumble upon a notable subject that doesn't have an article yet. My favorite example is Kala Alexander. I watched his Shark Week special last year and wanted to learn more about him but was disappointed to find a red link. After researching for a bit, I found significant coverage of him in sources such as ESPN and the New York Times so I went to work writing an article. I think it's amazing that Mr. Alexander's article now receives about 50 views/day and 1,247 views the day it was featured on the Main Page. Now, anyone has the ability to read a fascinating redemption story: a surf gang leader who is now using his time to help people with Cystic Fibrosis, helping to uncover why shark attacks are increasing in Hawaii, and even getting a cameo in Hawaii Five-0.
This brings me to the reason of why I do what I do. The best part of contributing to Wikipedia is the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping to contribute to the accessibility of human knowledge. I take great pride in the fact that I can highlight a park inhabited by turtle sculptures, a Naval surgeon who helped to incorporate the American Red Cross, and collaborate on an article about a South African poet. The work here is never done and I could go on and on about other wonderful stories, but I'll stop here.
