User:Kurtis/Activity level

The time I spend on Wikipedia varies significantly over the course of months; where I may have been a very active editor one month, the next month I could be only semi-active, or downright inactive. This could be due to many things; it could be because I am busy with other things in meatspace, it could be because I don't have adequate internet access, or (gasp!) it could mean that my level of enthusiasm for Wikipedia is dwindling (usually temporarily). Yes, if you look at my contributions and notice that I haven't been too active lately, don't be alarmed; more likely than not, it is only temporary and I will be back to active editing anytime.

Below is a list of activity levels that I have been known to vary between, listed in order from most active to least active (note that this does not mean that my activity changes monthly, it could be weekly or daily, depends what mood I am in oftentimes):

Highly active
The most active I can be at a given period of time. When I am highly active, it means I am probably working on an article of a subject that I became hugely interested in, or I am doing tons of anti-vandalism work for the hell of it. During periods of significant activity, I make hundreds of edits a month to both article and Wikipedia spaces. Does this mean I am addicted? Possibly... but remember that I do have something that bears a bit of resemblance to an honest-to-God life.

Fairly active
One of my more common levels of activity, fairly active means I am editing quite a bit, mostly Wiki-gnomish work or some assistance in maintenance areas. During these periods of activity, I could have maybe 100 or so edits throughout the month. I'm not hooked and am probably doing other things in the ever-mysterious real world, but I still have time to spend on Wikipedia. Basically, just think of it as me being active without being a complete Wikipediholic. ;)

Somewhat active
When I'm somewhat active (or semi-active, I guess you could call it), I am probably not doing too much on Wikipedia but I am still interested in what is going on and still edit enough to be considered active. If you see my recent contributions comprising primarily RfA comments or other, non-article edits, then I am likely in one of these periods of activity. That often means I have other things on my mind or I am busy, and am not contributing at my highest activity level. This would also be the level of activity I generally adhere to when I have limited internet access. Usually when I am somewhat active, I make maybe just over 50 edits a month.

Somewhat inactive
When I am overall somewhat inactive (mostly inactive, to put it simply), it means I am not really doing much editing for the site lately. During these periods, I make less than 50 edits a month, usually less than 20. Mostly it would be the occasional RfA support, minor article change, or comment. During these times, I may not respond swiftly to queries on my tslk page or elsewhere, so it may be best to bring your question elsewhere.

Inactive
Sometimes, when I am either very busy or just not really into Wikipedia, I go inactive. Inactivity can last for a week, or a month, or several months. If I am truly losing interest, I may be on indefinite leave for years, making only one or two edits throughout a lengthy time span. Will I be back if I go truly indefinitely active? It depends, I could be back after a long period of time with renewed interest in Wikipedia and its goals, or I could be gone for a very long time. Permanent departure from Wikipedia isn't necessarily something that I plan on and isn't likely to happen (unless of course I am dead or some other sad event has occured), but it isn't impossible that I will one day lose all interest for good, and if that ever happens, I may eventually leave a note on my user and talk pages that I am away indefinitely. If I see people are starting to worry about me, I'll check back at my talkpage and reassure everybody that I am OK (in the event that I check my talkpage).

I refuse to put a retirement notice on my userpage
Putting a big banner on my userpage that says "I am leaving Wikipedia for good" is something that I absolutely refuse to do, at any time, ever. If I've lost interest in Wikipedia, you'll know because I am not editing anymore. Announcing that you're retiring from the site, and then coming back shortly afterwards &mdash; especially when you're only stressed out about something on-wiki &mdash; makes you look extremely immature and is not a good way of handling problems. If you're stressed out, take a break. If you've lost interest, then just stop editing. No need to burn your bridges and say you're gone for good when it may only be temporary.

Check out User:NoSeptember/Leaving for more on this. I agree with that essay.