User:MatthewHaywood

Hi,

Hopefully you've come here because we've been involved in editing the same article, or running the same administrative process. Feel free to leave me a message on my talk page; I'm always happy to have a discussion. Although I do have a life outside Wikipedia, I try to keep up to date with messages!

'''I don't believe anonymous editing by IPs. Please, make yourself an account!'''

This may seem harsh, but in my seven years of editing Wikipedia I have seen that the majority of vandalism and bad editing comes from IPs. Vandalism is time consuming to find and rectify, and, in spite of the best efforts of the Recent Changes Patrol, is not always detected. As Wikipedia moves from a process of growth to consolidation of existing content, the benefits of instant, unrestricted editing by any internet user have ended. IPs cannot be policed and cannot be effectively blocked, as an individuals IP changes regularly. Surprisingly though, I have seen that the few, simple actions required to create an account serve to deter the majority of vandals, as blocking an IP or semi-protecting a page (preventing IP editing) often ends problems with vandalism.

In short, if you do want to interact with me on Wikipedia, please do yourself the favour of creating an account. It serves as a complete record of all the edits you make, gives you access to more tools, and will gain you the trust of other editors. It's quick and free. Why not?

Happy editing!

MatthewHaywood