Fair question, I guess. I originally came to Wikipedia because of the reputation it had amongst my friends and colleagues as being a source of unreliable information or a collection of trivia. I'm a firm believer in only criticizing an idea, concept or product once you've tested it out. It's through this process that I learned that the focus of the project couldn't be further from the way it had been described to me. As I examined it further, I decided to get involved firsthand to see how it works in practice, registering my account in mid-February 2008. I've been here ever since, working on improving articles, giving feedback and seeing how the various maintenance processes work.
My work on Wikipedia mainly involves Wikiproject Video games, where I work on cleaning up articles. Sometimes this will involve rewriting or expanding an article or finding sources to prove it's notability and verifiability. Other occasions will involve proposing articles for deletion and taking part in deletion debates. A large amount of new videogame articles are created by enthusiastic newcomers who aren't aware of the need to source articles or cite references, so I do my best to help them out. I also do a fair amount of work on article reviews, either by performing peer reviews or article assessments or by reviewing Good Article Nominations or Featured Article Candidates. Feel free to contact me if there's an article that you'd like me to review. I also do a fair amount of work on the Warcraft taskforce in an attempt to improve articles that are related to Blizzard's popular series of games.
Outside of video games I work on a range of processes as time allows. This includes proposed deletion patrolling, responding to requests for help and assistance with new pages. I occasionally participate in discussions elsewhere, usually relating to processes and procedures. I'm keen to avoid instruction creep, but feel that where there is a possibility for uncertainty or confusion a process can help.
What do I get out of it?
Well, there's a number of things. There's the sense of contributing to a great mass of knowledge, organising and cataloguing it all for all to see. There's also the feeling of collaborative achievement - it's rare for something to be created on Wikipedia by one person alone and most goals are achieved by a group of editors working together. On a more selfish note, I'm trying to develop an ability to create documents that can be understood by and appeal to a wide audience. This is fundamental to developing good quality articles that a large number of people can find both interesting and informative.
I also enjoy helping people. It may be related to some kind of latent teaching gene in my DNA, but actively helping others to achieve is one of these things that makes me happy. As a result, I try to help newcomers to the project and encourage them to use their enthusiasm in a way that creates better articles. There is a lot of passion and interest in video games and if only a small amount of that gets harnessed, it still benefits the project as a whole.
Who keeps an eye on me?
Everyone, basically. If you think I've done something stupid, said something inappropriate or behaved in an uncivil fashion, please tell me on my talk page. After all, I won't know I've made a mistake unless you tell me. Also, please note that I'm terrible at picking up on hints or subtlety, so if you need to tell me something please be blunt and honest! Krator has done a great job helping me find my feed on Wikipedia and getting started with work here, and I'm now looking at finding a new mentor to advance my understanding of the project further. Giggy tracks my Good Article and Featured Article reviews, making sure they are thorough but fair.
Wikipedia editor
This is a Wikipediauser page. This is not an encyclopedia article or the talk page for an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user whom this page is about may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia. The original page is located at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Gazimoff.
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