So, today I published my very first Wikipedia page. It's a short biographical entry of an entrepreneur I've recently connected with.
I've actually been looking for an excuse to dip my toe into the Wikipedia world, as it's a community and experiment I so very much admire. It's just one of those things that shouldn't work, but does. The fact that nearly anyone in the world can edit nearly any page, and the thing isn't a big 'ol spammy mess, is just amazing. It renews my hope in mankind as a species.
There was actually a whole bunch to take in before I could write anything, including:
- Figuring out if my topic even belongs in Wikipedia
- Reviewing the required writing style
- Going through the editing tutorial
- Playing the Sandbox
- Setting up my own Wikipedia page (useful for testing out edits, and holding onto drafts)
- Learning all about citing sources
- Signing up with Wikimedia, so I could have them host images correctly
If this all seems a bit daunting, to me, it was. But, there's one really interesting practice on Wikipedia that I find just amazing:
You do not need to read any rules before contributing to Wikipedia. If you do what seems sensible, it will usually be right, and if it's not right, don't worry. Even the worst mistakes are easy to correct: older versions of a page remain in the revision history and can be restored. If we disagree with your changes, we'll talk about it thoughtfully and politely, and we'll figure out what to do. So don't worry. Be bold, and enjoy helping to build this free encyclopedia.
In other words, it is Wikipedia policy, that you should Ignore All Rules. Remarkable, no?
Like I said at the beginning of this post - Wikipedia just restores my faith in human kind. Any project that can be so successful, yet have such an open and welcoming community - wow.
I guess I'm just glad to say I'm part of it.
Now, go fix what I've started, and make it better. Man, I love wikis!
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