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Emma Van Patten

Reflective Essay of Wikipedia Article Assignment

When posed with the assignment of creating my own Wikipedia article, I was incredibly hesitant. The idea that I would have to brainstorm a topic that didn’t already have a Wikipedia article seemed impossible, it seemed as though almost everything in the world already had an existing Wikipedia article. Although, once I began brainstorming on possibilities for a topic, I came up with several ideas. Everywhere from perfumes, to restaurants, to people in my life, I had several ideas. Finally, I landed on creating a Wikipedia article for a bay area restaurant, Selby’s.

The article I chose to review during the article evaluation had to do with a high-end restaurant, which mirrored my topic. During the article evaluation, I learned that Wikipedia was a difficult website to maneuver. There are copious amounts of pages and tools to access, that one could get lost in all the different gadgets. Furthermore, within the evaluation I became more experienced on how to use the “talk” page to leave comments and suggestions on one’s article. The approach I took towards critiquing the article I selected was to look closely at each different section and make sure all information provided related to the topic and section. I found some sections that included information that didn’t relate to its topic. Therefore, I enhanced the  information provided by the author to ensure its relativity to the topic. Mostly, the edits that I provided to my chosen article pertained to spelling, grammar and sentence structure. The body sections had quite a few runs on sentences that needed editing. These changes to my chosen article were a valuable addition because it enhanced the important information given by the author and transformed the writing to a more clear and concise structure. The final result of my chosen article compared to earlier versions, provides the readers with more direct and clear information.

The peer review section of the Wikipedia assignment incorporated reviewing two different Wikipedia pages created by my peers and two peer evaluations of my article. The contributions provided by my reviews of my peers' articles was helpful. I accessed their different sections according to their topic. One peer article I analyzed had a lot of writing. In all of their access writing some of their information about their topic got lost. I encouraged them to shorten their sections and only write what makes sense for your topic, no other information included. Another one of my peers didn’t have much to their article yet, so without much to critique, i stead offered them ideas of different sections they could do for their topic. That power just needed a push in the right direction and ideas for sections to begin organizing their thoughts. As for my article, both of peer reviews advised that my article included more information and to lengthen my sections. At that time, my sections were no more than two sentences. In that sense, the advice given for my writing was incredibly helpful and helped push my ideas and writing further. Other than my peer evaluations and the professor, I have received any further feedback from other editors or writers on wikipedia.

The most valuable information that I learned from using Wikipedia was that information should, for the most part, be direct and relate to a topic. Going off on tangents or writing unnecessary information on an article page negatively affects the article. Direct information is best when writing for Wikipedia. Comparing this assignment to others in the past, I would argue that this assignment was more enjoyable than others I have completed. What was pleasant about this assignment was that our Wikipedia article topic was decided by us. It made the research interesting and enjoyable to do. The aspect of being able to pick the topic made the assignment fele more personal and fun.

By using Wikipedia the public can further their understanding of what Selby’s restaurant is most known for and all amenities that come with their dining experience. When going to Selby’s, one can know what to expect of the restaurant when reading through my article. The importance of this is that it may bring more customers into Selby’s or it may offer a dining experience someone is looking for, especially in the bay area.

The article about Selby’s Restaurant was offered more information on Bay Area restaurants. There aren’t many articles included on Wikipedia that feature that information. The article contributed to the conversation about how many infamous restaurants are in the Bay area. The challenges faced when researching this topic was finding reliable sources. Most information that one can read about restaurants comes from the restaurants website or review and critic websites like Yelp. The difficulty of finding unbiased information was high.

The Wikipedia assignment affected my understanding of how information is constructed and shared by realizing how easily information can become biased. A lot of opinions are included in information, especially for a restaurant. It was a task to find just facts and data. Additionally, a new aspect of writing for Wikipedia was how strict the copyright rules and regulations were. There were specific ways to quote and cite information from different sources. From completing this assignment, I now understand that I have a role within today’s information landscape. I now understand that I am capable of outsourcing, creating and writing my own articles on information I want to share.