User:Jackson Peebles/Adoption/Lesson 9

Study Guide
Well, you've completed all the lessons to this point. So now it's your turn to go out and work on the encyclopedia! I don't know if you realize, but the other lessons dealt with the theory of Wikipedia, and, for the most part, didn't actually ask you to do anything. Well, this module is designed to teach you about the different areas you can work. It's a big wide encyclopedia out there.

Building
The first option is to build new articles. You know an awful lot about how Wikipedia works now, and what's notable and what's not, reliable sources and what not. How about you try and write an article? Something new, something different. You may have already done this. If you can write 1500 characters about a subject, you can submit it for Did you know. Did you know is a great way to ensure your new articles are up to scratch (they need to be less than 5 days old in the mainspace, well sourced and have a catchy "hook") and the hook should appear on the front page in the Did you know section! You can also apply for a DYK if you expand the characters in an article by 5x. That can be quite tough, but it is possible.

Join a Project
Have a look at your favorite articles, on the talk page, you'll often find that they have an associated WikiProject. The project is always looking for new members and will enjoy your help! They often have to-do lists and you could help out :D

Deleting
Why not head over to WP:XfD. There's always debates going on about articles that might need deleting from the encyclopedia. Throw in a view! You've been reading so much theory, you'll know as much as most people. There's an article on WP:Arguments to avoid in deletion discussions which might help you.

Patrolling
There's a lot to maintain at Wikipedia, and your help would be gratefully received.
 * New Page Patrol checks every single new page to see if it meets the guidelines, wikifies it, tags it and marks it as patrolled. Would be very helpful if you'd help out :D Have a read an think which you might be interested in helping out there. You may end up using your WP:CSD knowledge, or at least nominate them for deletion.
 * Recent Changes Patrol, vandalism patrol. it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it! I've done quite a bit, but it still only accounts for 20% of my work here.

Cleanup

 * WP:CLEANUP is one of the biggest backlogs on Wikipedia. There's lots of things to do there, from wikification to re-writing articles to comply withNPOV. Every little does help, so whatever you can do, please do.

Help the encyclopedia move forward
There's always discussions going on at requested moves or WP:Requests for comment. Why not see if you can offer a point of view? The most important (supposedly) at any given time are listed at WP:CENT. Hey, you can even wander around the village pump (the encyclopedic version of the water cooler), see if there's any general discussions you're interested in.

About The Exam
At this point, I, feel that you have learned enough during this training/mentorship/adoption/whatever-it-is program to be unleashed upon an innocent and probably quite terrified encyclopedia.(KIDDING! Don't panic!)

Your options
You are not required to take this exam. If you feel that you've learned enough and are competent enough with that information (or you're just sick and tired of me at this point), you are free to simply end the adoption program now and be on your merry way. Just remove the adoption template from your userpage and leave me a message to let me know you're running off. This allows you more time to be on your own and perhaps gain a social life that I, as the grueling taskmaster, have been hiding from you. On the other hand, this will make me very sad and I'll probably mope around the project for weeks on end pondering whether it's really worth it all. Not really, but I will be slightly upset.

If, however, you choose to take the exam, there are several benefits in doing so. You actually confirm that you do indeed know all that information and are competent with it. You will have a wonderful feeling of personal satisfaction at having graduated. I'll put up a userbox that says I'm proud of you and your accomplishments that will undoubtedly be well above those other new users who were not adopted. And I'll find some sort of appropriate shiny award to give to you as my thanks for being a good adoptee and putting up with me this whole time. I won't say what the award is, because I don't even know. It will be suited to you, and what I observed of you during our time together. However, you must pass this test to graduate and receive that award.

Yes, it is possible to fail. If I give you the link to this page, I do not believe that will happen. But it is possible. This is an exam. Take it seriously.

Format of the exam
The exam consists of two parts - a practical test, and a written test.

The practical test involves me setting a series of tasks for you to complete within a certain time period. Failure to complete all tasks before the time alloted will result in the deduction of points. If you have concerns in that horrid thing we call "Real Life" that must take precedence, MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO. I will not be an anal prick about this because some relative passed away. Those things do happen, and Wikipedia most certainly should NOT get in the way of dealing with them. The tasks set will be different for every user, and may be more or less depending on what I believe the user to be capable of. If I pile a lot of work on you, that's because I believe you can handle it. So suck it up.

The written test consists of a series of questions, displayed below, relating to Wikipedia's policies, guidelines, and procedures. Points will be awarded for correct responses, and partial credit is available. If you wish to debate a question I have marked incorrect, you are free to do so, HOWEVER I do have the final say as adopter, test-setter, and far more experienced user. (So there. :-P).

A passing grade is considered to be 75% or higher. Lower grades will result in a longer adoption period. If you completely blow the test off, I'll apply for adminship and immediately abuse my powers by blocking you indefinitely. Just dare me.

The Exam
THE EXAM (Last chance to turn back!)

Do not post answers to your written exam here. In a moment, you will create a separate page for your exam. This page will have the questions for your written test preloaded, and will allow you to access your tasks for the practical test. Once the page is created, you will have exactly one week in which to complete all questions and tasks.

Next Steps
Please ask any questions at my talk page and, when satisfied, visit my adoption center for review or use the input box below to generate your final exam. Replace "(YOURUSERNAME)" with your full username, perfectly spelled (but without formatting) and using spaces rather than underscores (delete the parentheses). --Jackson Peebles (talk)