User:Laurapinto

OK, folks, this is what we call "taking the plunge!" Although I registered with Wikipedia some months ago, I never really did much more than just read the pages I was interested in reading, and having a look at the tutorial in order to get an idea how to create and edit pages. It wasn't until December 2005 that I finally worked up enough courage to jump in and start putting theory into practice - to push the airplane off the hill to see if it would fly, so to speak. (This project is my personal "Kitty Hawk!") Well, so far the airplane is flying fairly straight - or, at least, it's remaining airborne - so I've decided to go ahead and create a small user page, which will no doubt grow as I become more experienced with the Wiki experience!

My username, Laurapinto, is just an unimaginative "alternate take" on my real name, Laura Pinto. (In retrospect, I probably should have put a little more thought into choosing my username, but I guess there's no harm done!) I was born in New Jersey in 1958. Since 1990 I've live in St. Petersburg, Florida - just like another, fairly well-known Wikipedian.

(Don't mind me, folks, this is still a highly experimental exercise for yours truly. I hope to add more intelligent content in the future, as I continue to learn how to fly the plane!)

I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, or at least not TOO far behind. Please bear with me during this learning process. I'm going to take a look at other user pages to get some ideas and hope to add a photo and maybe a couple of external links in the near future. In the meantime, I'm open to any and all suggestions as to how to maximize my Wikipedia experience!

What Have I Done?
I'm a big fan of the music from the 60's and 70's, and I originally registered with Wikipedia after having come across the site several times in Google searches on my favorite singers/songwriters from that era. While perusing the Wikipedia pages for several of these individuals, I noticed a handful of inaccuracies and/or incomplete information, so I decided to correct what needed correcting and add what needed adding. In part, my contributions have included:


 * Expanding the existing page for songwriter/producer Jeff Barry
 * Doing a bit of editing on the page for the cartoon group The Archies
 * Creating a page for singer Ron Dante (The Archies)
 * Doing a bit of editing on singer Andy Kim's page
 * Creating a page for pop music group The Detergents
 * Creating a page for the song "Baby, I Love You"
 * Creating a page for the song "Tell Laura I Love Her"
 * Creating a page for singer/songwriter/producer Ellie Greenwich
 * Creating a page for pop music group Joey Dee and the Starliters
 * Creating a page for singer/songwriter Eddie Rambeau
 * Various editing on other related pages (see my User Contributions page for the complete list)

What Are My Qualifications?
The music of the 60's and 70's isn't just an interest of mine - it's a passion. Over the past few years, I've had the good fortune of meeting many of my favorite musical artists of the era, several of whom I've become friendly with. (Sorry for the bad grammar in that sentence!) I run fan sites for each of these individuals as well, with their input. Chances are, if I've created/edited a Wikipedia page on a singer or songwriter, I know that individual personally, although I also, from time to time, edit the pages of other artists affiliated with these folks to create internal links or add pertinent information.

Over the past few years I've also collected a lot of CDs and vinyl records (thanks, eBay!) as well as all manner of books and magazines containing writeups on 60's and 70's music in general and these individuals in particular. I've done a lot of research! It's a labor of love for me. And the beauty part is, I've learned a lot about these folks' careers that they themselves have forgotten with the passage of time; it's a blast reminding them about things they haven't thought of in years, and taking a trip down memory lane with them.

2006 Wikipedia Meetup
Attended the St. Petersburg, Florida Meetup on Saturday, January 14, 2006. Met a bunch of cool folks, including:


 * Jimbo Wales and family
 * Raul654
 * Mindspillage
 * Dominick
 * Angela
 * Encyclopedist
 * Snowspinner

To all attendees of the St. Pete Meetup: I tried to obtain as many usernames as I could, but I wasn't able to speak with everyone - so, if I've left you out, please add yourself to the list above! (Conversely, if you don't want your user page to be linked here for any reason, then by all means remove it.) Also, feel free to email me via the sidebar link or to add a message to my Talk page.

Special Thanks
A big THANK-YOU to carptrash for encouraging me to become a Wikipedian! Also thanks to Jeff Barry for the Kitty Hawk analogy - it comes in handy at times like these.