User:Elasezgin/Report

Ela Sezgin

Wiki Assignment #7

Before joining this class, I visited various Wikipedia pages to gain some quick information on a topic or find an article without having to do too much of a deep search on Google. I have always found great information on the platform, but I always wondered who wrote these pages. I have been told repeatedly that Wikipedia is “unreliable” information and should not be used for educational purposes because anyone can write the pages. When I was first introduced to the world of editing on Wikipedia I was in the third grade. My friends were huddled around a computer in the computer lab, and they just discovered that you can put anything you want in a Wikipedia article. We proceeded to write something along the lines of Zac Efron is the cutest actor ever in the article. Little did we know, there was an extensive crew of Wikipedians who most likely edited out our childish change within the first 10 minutes of it being live. After now using Wikipedia as an editor and as a young adult, I have a new perspective on the website/ community and the depth of information it holds.

When I was first told I would be writing an article on Wikipedia, I was very intimidated. I felt as though I didn’t have the writing talent or knowledge to write a page that people would be using as a basis for much of their knowledge on the topic. However, once I began my WikiEdu training, I found that it was much less intimidating and that it was also fun. There are many people to help and guide you through learning how to join the community, and for that, I applaud Wikipedia for making their newcomers feel welcome and in good hands. This also leads me to my first suggestion. Many people have an interest in writing Wikipedia articles or would have interested should they have more information about it. I am advising that Wikipedia begins (or increases) advertisements on WikiEdu that show the knowledge that is gained from it as well as the fun that comes along with creating Wikipedia articles. Creating advertisements surrounding joining Wikipedia would certainly spike the number of newcomers, so that would have to be something that Wikipedia and the Wikipedians are prepared for and desire. Another way to spread the word about joining Wikipedia would be through a similar situation to how I joined; reaching out to professors and encouraging them to incorporate WikiEdu into their coursework to give their students the opportunity to learn how to contribute to the Wikipedia community but also provide more articles for Wikipedia. This way the professors can help as a guide as well and that would remove some of the pressures that the Wikipedian educators may feel. Although newcomers are not always desired, they will help keep content on Wikipedia diverse and fresh.

As I was deciding what to write my article on I was very stumped and couldn't come up with many ideas that I felt passionate about. I found the WikiProjects section on the talk pages of some articles to be very helpful and also aid me in deciding what I wanted to write my article on. If I found a stub or start class article that was attached to a WikiProject or held some importance it increased my desire to participate in the article because I knew I would be contributing to the greater good and having a part in adding more knowledge to Wikipedia. Perhaps presenting this these WikiProject topics in a more public way will increase the commitment that people have as a Wikipedian and increase their participation because they want to help diversify the information that is available on Wikipedia. Presenting the local WikiProjects to students or residents in towns/ cities can also encourage more specific, niche topics gaining representation on wikipedia.

Although I enjoyed writing this article and felt as though I made a good contribution to the Wikipedia article, I can imagine myself running out of steam to create Wikipedia articles without much recognition. Writing articles for Wikipedia requires a significant investment of time and energy, and without recognition or rewards, many people might not feel motivated to continue to contribute after a few articles. Although the motivation of supporting the greater good discussed above is valid, it does not apply to all articles. I suggest that Wikipedia create a model similar to Yelp that offers badges for different levels of contributors to help recognize and reward Wikipedians for their efforts. The badges will help Wikipedians feel recognized and appreciated by Wikipedia. I do not advise them paying Wikipedians because it takes the fun out of Wikipedia. However, it could be beneficial to hire from the pool of advanced Wikipedians when Wikipedia is hiring for their various corporate teams. This would be a motivator to get Wikipedians to contribute as well as keep the integrity of Wikipedia when hiring people.

Overall, I had an enjoyable experience creating my Wikipedia article and loved participating in a community that I always knew about but had little knowledge surrounding. As soon as my initial intimidation was eliminated I found Wikipedia to be much more approachable end enjoyable to use. Although I am unsure if I will continue to edit articles due to the time that it takes, I am glad to have the knowledge and insight regarding Wikipedia.