User:Johnjes6/ReflectionEssay

Wikipedia initially sounded daunting. I was unsure of what I had gotten myself into. Our assignment was to write a Wikipedia article, which I thought would be impossible because all of my ideas for a Wikipedia article would already be taken. Needless to say, I was wrong. There are thousands of stubs – articles that are too short to be considered an encyclopedia article – to choose from, and even more topics that have yet to be composed. What really helped guide me through my process of getting to know Wikipedia were the programs that Mako suggested to us.

The first program that we were introduced to was the online student orientation. During this training we created an account, learned how to make edit in our sandboxes, and developed an understanding of what obligations and rules you must follow in order to be a Wikipedian. This was a great training to introduce to us to as beginners because it presented us with the most pertinent how-to tools and instructions on everything Wikipedia. It made the transition from an inactive participant to newcomer smoother.

The second tool we used to become more familiar with Wikipedia was “The Wikipedia Adventure.” This was a really great tool as a newcomer. It guided me through a series of adventures that allowed me to practice and develop my editing skills. This was important to me because editing/coding within Wikipedia was one of my biggest concerns. The only downfalls of “The Wikipedia Adventure” were the glitches. Even with the defects, I found the program to be useful because it provided me with more specific information to editing and maneuvering my way through Wikipedia, which the online student orientation didn’t offer.

The third program, The Teahouse, I thought was great. When I first joined Wikipedia and began editing I received a welcome message on my talk page from the Teahouse. I was very taken back by this gesture. I assumed that when I joined Wikipedia the only people that would reach out to me were going to be my peers, and to receive a welcome message from The Teahouse felt like I was truly part of a community. The aspects that are most appealing about The Teahouse are its accessibility, approachability, and its ease of use. It is a place that I can post a question to and not feel stupid or unwelcomed. Even though I never reached out to the Teahouse during this assignment, I know that it is a viable resource that I can use in the future.

After reflecting on my experiences and relating them to the concepts that we covered in class, I found the most relevant issues are contribution, commitment, and challenges of dealing with newcomers. One of the hardest parts of maintaining an online community, such as Wikipedia, is contribution and commitment. It is hard to encourage people to participate an online community if they have no real motivation or commitment to it. However, if intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are introduced participation in the online community could possibly increase. Lets take Wikipedia for example. Wikipedia awards contributors with Barnstars for their hard work and due diligence. According to research by Mako, rewarding users with Barnstars increased the levels of editing and longevity within Wikipedia projects. Even though I never received or awarded someone with a Barnstar, I understand how extrinsic motivation creates a reputation within the community.

On the contrary, the biggest challenge that I faced was my level of commitment to Wikipedia. I found myself not really relating to other users and contributors, which made my interest in participating quite low. Incentives and motivations are difficult when someone does not have a strong connection to an online community. The key to a successful online community is commitment. If there is no bond with the community, then people are less like to participate and contribute. An affective, normative or needs-based bond must be present in order for an individual to feel like he or she is making a real difference within the community. In the case of Wikipedia, I felt a very identity-based and normative based commitment because it was a class assignment. I wanted to work with my peers to help fulfill the requirements of participation within Wikipeida. I also felt that it was my obligation as a student in the class to participate and show my commitment by contributing to Wikipedia.

As I have said before, commitment and contribution are the largest challenges that we face with online communities, but it is even more of a challenge when the contributor is a newcomer, which brings me to my last point. In today’s world, online communities are increasing. More people are participating and contributing to these groups. However, the balance between tradition and modernization is becoming more and more difficult. Maintaining a community with developed rules, while introducing a newcomer who has a focus in socialization presents problems. If a newcomer has support and a good initial experience, and is joining a community to make a change, the retention rate is likely to be higher than someone who is joining just to join. This was what made my opinion of Wikipedia more favorable. I was immediately welcomed by those outside of the class, and felt that I was participating in a community that was willing to help me learn, even if I made a mistake. If I could change anything about our experience with Wikipedia it would be the socialization aspect. If we were required to participate in other communities, such as The Teahouse, I think the levels of commitment and our motivation to contribute would be much higher. It would force us to understand and get to know others within the Wikipedia community. However, I think that our requirements for the assignment were very helpful, and be useful for us as we move forward in participating with other online communities.

Johnjes6 (talk) 23:01, 8 November 2015 (UTC)