User:Kclav15/Report

Wikipedia Reflection Essay

Prior to this activity I had rarely used Wikipedia. I did not understand the insides of commenting, writing, editing, or posting an article, I had strictly used it to look up random information that I needed quick answers to. This activity showed me just how much work and effort goes into creating a good Wikipedia article and how many contributions are made outside of the original writer. Throughout the process I struggled to navigate through the site, having to refer often back to our class wikipedia page as well as instructions from our professor. In addition to this, much of the structure of the site caused a higher level of confusion than many other academic sites that I have used.

Throughout this quarter, we have gone over a multitude of cases that introduced us to different aspects, concepts, and aspects of various online communities. In learning about these different communities, I thought hard about the difference between other communities and Wikipedia. Through this experience, I found different aspects of the online community that is Wikipedia that could be changed or added in order to improve the experience of all users across the platform.

One thing that I think would be beneficial not only to writers and editors but also to readers would be to incorporate a sort of badge designation action. Like we learned about on other communities, some users have a higher “ranking” or designation than others. Wikipedia editors and contributors range widely from renowned scholars, to student editors, to casual users. With this in mind, I believe that by adding badges, for example for those who are qualified scholars, it would allow for not only writers to gain a sense of well written work, but also for readers to be able to distinguish more fluently and with more ease which articles could help them with their endeavors whether that be simple interest in a topic, or for work for school or work. Through various badges, readers may gain a higher sense of trust in work on Wikipedia rather than having to do some digging to figure out which articles will truly be useful and contain a higher level of scholarly information. Throughout school we were often told not to use Wikipedia as a source because “anyone can write or edit.” Through this badge system, students, teachers, workers, and many others can use Wikipedia as a source as the badge system gives a higher sense of which works would be useful in such academic papers and would allow others to become more avid users of the online community.

One thing that I think Wikipedia could change or update is their level of simplicity. While the current format allows for a multitude of uses, the platform tends to come across as much more confusing for contributors than many of the other online communities that we have discussed throughout the course. One such aspect that could be changed or added, is adding a shortened version of the user guide. Currently they have an online lesson for new editors which I believe to be very beneficial, though this is true, I believe adding a typed out simplified version of a user guide would benefit new users, allowing for quicker access to their questions as well as allow them a concise way to find information regarding using the site. As a first time contributor myself, I found myself struggling with using the site and when I needed answers to my questions regarding certain aspects of the site, I needed to click through multiple pages to find a single answer. I believe that my experience as a new user allows me to give useful advice for other new users who may be new to the way the online community functions.

One other aspect that I believe Wikipedia could add is a user and contributor code of conduct. This code of conduct would allow for consistent users as well as first time users to understand the online community to a higher degree and have an understanding of the norms and expectations prior to posting articles or making contributions. As we have seen in class the use of codes of conducts for online communities can vary widely, and we have seen the degree to which these communities can express their expectations through these codes of conduct. I believe Wikipedia would benefit from an in-depth code of conduct outlining their expectations for different users, in other words, their expectations for the different roles of readers, editors, commenters, and contributors. This code of conduct would not only present a quick way to gain a better understanding of the site's expectations and uses, but would also foster a higher sense of community by allowing for users to all come to a general understanding. As well, this code of conduct would serve as sort of a warning or cautionary sign of misuse. Along with this code of conduct, there should be an easy way to facilitate the reporting of certain content. If certain users or content go against the regulations of this code of conduct, then other contributors can report such articles or users. This would allow for a community that supports one another through this fostered community understanding while also making sure that the site remains neutral, useful, and safe from those trying to troll or spreading misinformation or disinformation.

Overall, I believe that these suggestions are important coming from first time users of the site. As a first time contributor I was able to see the faults in certain aspects of the online community while also gaining more insight into the community that I lacked knowledge on. Other first time users may also struggle with such issues and because of this, these changes to the site could truly benefit other first time contributors or those who are struggling with using the site.