User:PacknCanes

Hello! I'm Brian, aka PacknCanes (if you've ever been on a hockey message board, you've probably seen that name). The name's an amalgamation of two of my favorite teams -- the N.C. State Wolfpack and the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL. I work overnight as an announcer at a radio station in Raleigh, North Carolina, so if it looks like I'm always on here, that would probably be why. (Sleep? Who needs sleep?)

My interests include hockey, roads and transportation, and geography. Also, anything relating to Raleigh or my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio is fair game. I was one of the contributors that worked on the Cleveland article to get it to featured article status, which it attained (after many sleepless nights on my part) on October 20, 2005.

Thanks for stopping by! If I can help you in any way, please feel free to drop me an email or post something on my talk page.

FAC philosophy
Since the majority of the people that will read this are probably concerned with a featured article nomination, I think it's fair to post my philosophy on voting for nominated articles. The following are absolute must-haves for any article to receive my support: Also, if I comment on a nomination, consider it an invitation that I will help in any way I can to get the article to featured status. Don't be afraid to ask for help! I only comment on articles that I believe have a reasonable chance of becoming featured, for this reason. So if you need a copyedit, a second pair of eyes, a proofreader -- whatever -- please let me know, and I'll help as best I can.
 * The article must teach me something. I don't claim to have a monopoly on knowledge, and something as mundane as the lat/lon coordinates of a city will count.  But a featured article is supposed to be comprehensive, so there should be something within a 30 KB article that I don't know (or didn't, before I read the article).
 * The article must be sourced. When people ask me about Wikipedia, the first thing they say invariably is something on the order of "But how can I trust it when John Q. Public can edit?"  I tell them that they should click on "Discussion" and if the article is listed as a featured article, it can be trusted.  That's a pretty high standard to meet, so sources are an absolute must.
 * The article must be well-written. It has to be understandable by the aforementioned John Q. Public. Not to mention, it has to be understandable by the editors voting on the nomination!  I'm a real stickler for well-flowing prose.  Short, choppy sentences and 1- or 2-sentence paragraphs don't constitute a well-written article; there's skill involved in writing a featured article.  I don't mean to sound crass (honest!), but ALWAYS remember that a featured article sets the bar for every other article on Wikipedia.
 * Finally, whoever nominates the article must be able to accept criticism. Whenever I object to a nomination, I'm objecting to the article, not the person who nominated it.  Always remember to assume good faith from anyone who objects to the article; we're not on a crusade against you.  Speaking for myself, I believe that just about every article nominated has a chance to become featured as long as the nominator and the voters are willing to work together to improve the article.

Good luck!