User talk:GLOSCurator

Airlie
Welcome to Wikipedia. We probably need to talk about Masonic manuscripts, where you have identified a serious omission. I rewrote the article about two years back, because it was a mess (the Statutes of Ratisbonne (sic) marked the transition from operative to speculative masonry in France?). I worked with what I had at the time (I was new to Wikipedia) and simply turned it into something I could live with.

The Airlie MS obviously needs included in this article. Unless I've missed my guess, you are the only useful source on Airlie, and Wikipedia has issues with editors quoting their own stuff (for obvious reasons). However, collaborative efforts are positively encouraged. This baby could probably move up the food chain, at least to Good Article status, with only a little work. Can we put our heads together? Fiddlersmouth (talk) 01:37, 8 June 2014 (UTC)

Hi, Sorry I missed your message - I have been away. I recently updated the Airlie MS piece whilst I was away using an old alias (I could not recall my later one). I am very new to Wikipedia so I am not even sure if this if how we should 'talk'? GLOSCurator (talk)


 * I sort of guessed you might be Ericthearcher. I missed your message being away myself (ironically, in Edinburgh). WP has strict rules about what goes in, but seems to encourage editors to collaborate in any way they see fit. Finding a masonic article edited by somebody who isn't criminally insane is always a bonus, somebody who is actually an authority on the subject (as against a "don't you know who I am") is unheard of. I'd like to upgrade this article simply to get it noticed. Any suggestions on content or format would be most welcome. There's here, my talk page, and you can e-mail me from there. For most of the English speaking world, their first neutral source on Freemasonry is Wikipedia, or something that was cut and pasted from here. It's worth getting it right. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 22:04, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I have two aliases Ericthearcher being an old online gaming handle from many years ago and the correct one GLOSCurator. I have been Curator of the Grand Lodge of Scotland for more than 20 years and like you (I suspect) I had become exasperated by the sheer nonsense about Freemasonry on WP. The old rituals have been a particular interest of mine for more than 25 years so I like to think I know a little bit about them and the period during which they emerged. There is a great deal more that requires to be correct/amended on WP particularly subjects such as Rosslyn Chapel, Sir Robert Moray - in fact nearly everything about Freemasonry certainly from the earliest days. I am not sure if I have the time to deal with it in its entirety but certainly would be happy to to tackle the task subject by subject. Are you a Freemason BTW? GLOSCurator (talk)


 * Currently resigned in good standing (don't have time to get to lodge). Past master & Royal Arch, UGLE. Father and grandfather both GLOS. Couldn't agree more. My own main topic of research is the emergence of the two traditions of the third degree, and why the hell the culprits took key terms from Luther's bible. I doubt if any of that will appear in here. On Wikipedia, I spent half of this year on List of Masonic Grand Lodges, rooting out the long dead and completely bogus. I got involved in January 2012, annoyed because WP's single (incorrect) sentence on a local monument I was researching was repeated all over the internet. Having fixed that, I had a look at the Freemasonry section, winced a bit, and started typing. I managed to get Freemasonry and Freemasonry and women up to good article status (the latter because I had to remove a massive copyright violation, and just kept going). A. F. A. Woodford, first IPM of Quatuor Coronati and one of my masonic heroes, is one of my few original articles. My to-do list includes upgrading Laurence Dermott, Hiram Abiff and the Grand Lodge of All England, before going back and giving the History of Freemasonry article the attention it deserves. I'm open to other suggestions, particularly the Manuscripts article (which I developed a bit of a fondness for). WP may have a problem with self-citation, but I have no problem citing one of the few masonic authors I have any respect for (and you're SO much easier to read than Bro Cryer, God rest him). Your input elsewhere would be much appreciated, where I might be myopically looking at problems from the point of view of the three English GLs of the 18th century. While I'd appreciate input from anybody else, I won't hold my breath. Editors actively engaged in upgrading material on masonic history, with your own participation, now number almost three. Thanks. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 19:25, 15 August 2014 (UTC)

Thanks for the interesting reply. I am IPM of Quatuor Coronati Lodge and am fortunate enough have a complete set of AQC. I would like to see more citations from that source but the problem is, as usual, time. Self-citation I anticipated would be a problem but given that there is hardly anything authoritative on Scottish Freemasonry available I did not really have much alternative... What do you suggest as a way forward? GLOSCurator (talk)


 * I've just ploughed my way through the blurb on citations, and as you are a "reliable published source", not to mention an expert in the field, there should not be a problem with citing your own work. I apologise for any confusion I may have caused. I suggest you use your own citations, and get back to me if anybody takes issue.
 * I'd be grateful if you could put a note on my talk page when you're done with Masonic manuscripts. With the Scottish material added, I believe the article will be about complete (unless you can spot any glaring omissions), and will only need a last bit of polish to make Good Article status. Any suggestions for illustrations? Reviewers seem to like that sort of thing. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 11:28, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

When you state: 'I'd be grateful if you could put a note on my talk page when you're done...' do you mean that I do so here? On this (your) page? Please remember that I am a complete novice on wiki... GLOSCurator (talk)

I did not read your post in full. I do not know how to 'put a note on my talk page' - I thought that I was doing that? Yet again my wiki inexperience is revealed...


 * Next to my tag at the end of each of my postings is (talk). Clicking on that will take you to my talk page. Click "New section" at the top, and you're away. Leaving a message there means I get a notification as soon as I sign on - so if you have any queries, that's the quickest way to get my attention. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 20:08, 18 August 2014 (UTC)

Many thanks for your assistance. I shall follow your instructions. Fingers crossed! GLOSCurator (talk)

Returning thanks
This IS your talk page. You might find some of the following useful. Fiddlersmouth (talk) 17:55, 19 August 2014 (UTC)