User talk:Stevensenger

I think I've only edited a few basic things in some math pages and metal pages.Stevensenger (talk) 22:27, 13 April 2011 (UTC)

Backronym
Let's discuss your question about backronym on the talk page for the article, so others can chime in. I will respond in a while, when work calms down. = DavidWBrooks (talk) 15:43, 30 September 2016 (UTC)

Actually, re-reading your question is was more about how to edit in wikipedia, not the Backroynm article specifically, so I will respond here.

You asked "how do I meaningfully contribute to wikipedia without worrying that my edits are in vain?" and the answer is roughly the same as the joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice - that is, read wikipedia and find out what other editors think is appropriate. It can be time-consuming and annoying, but there's no rule book to follow; it just depends on what other contributors think as a whole ("consensus") and you can only figure that out by reading them.

Your addition to Backronym was the sort of item that is frowned on because it was something thought up by an editor rather than a reflection of something existing in the wild, so to speak. You can see why that is frowned on - if everybody who came up wikipedia added clever examples of something they'd thought of, wikipedia would become like many many other websites and not very encyclopedic. (Check out Gadsby (novel) and the Talk page debate about writing as a lipogram for an interesting example of the debate.)

You should be prepared to have any wikipedia edit undone - that's the nature of wikipedia, for better or worse. On the other hand, that also means that edits which stay often have more value. Hope this helps. - DavidWBrooks (talk) 19:30, 30 September 2016 (UTC)

Thanks so much! This was very helpful! In hindsight, your explanation totally makes sense. Thanks for taking the time to get back to me!Stevensenger (talk) 19:49, 3 October 2016 (UTC)