Welcome to my user page.
I don't really have anything to say about myself. For Wikipedia to succeed, editors must get used to the notion that every editor is about their contributions, nothing else.
A friend asked me to edit a specific article on Wikipedia. When I first registered my account, I was offered multiple other articles to edit, almost forced upon me. They seemed to be random articles, but, as I watch other new editors tackle the same articles, I realize it is probably a set group of articles offered to new editors. However, the articles offered were not good choices, very obscure with limited on-line resources for information to improve the articles. One article needed either edited or deleted or merged or something. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what to do with it, but Wikipedia policy pages are all far too wordy. The user interface (which seems to only be around for a short time after you start editing) suggested methods of asking for help, including the Teahouse, advertised as a safe haven for new editors. However, instead of using the tried and true design of the regular interface, they decided to force users to sign their posts or be locked out of posting. their instructions though, were wrong. When this was pointed out to them, they gave the usual remark, "Well, no ever complained before, so, essentially we don't care." In other words, not a welcoming place. I got frustrated with trying to ask at the Teahouse, and used the Help Desk instead. This, too, was a big mistake. It turns out that an infamous sock puppet trolls the help desk, so that administrators simply block any new user who asks a question in frustration. That's right, new user interface gives you weird articles to edit, you go to Teahouse to ask questions and it doesn't work, so you go to help desk, and you get permanently blocked from editing Wikipedia.
So, why did I stay? I do want to finish sourcing a specific group of articles. Identified taxa are tied to published scientific descriptions of the taxon. However, on Wikipedia, these taxa often have articles that don't mention the scientific description sources; so I am trying to add these. I do have a bad attitude about the bureaucracy on Wikipedia. The Teahouse people are so smug about being right about forcing people to use four tildes to sign their posts. Yet, they demonstrate the four tildes inside parentheses. Maybe I am the only one who ever made that mistake. But, is there really a reason for the parentheses? No, they aren't required, and, everywhere else on Wikipedia if you use them, your signature will post, but the Teahouse interface won't post when your tildes are in the parentheses that they demonstrate as required for use. Being blocked pretty much guaranteed that I have a bad attitude on Wikipedia. For one thing, it just isn't safe to ask for help on Wikipedia. When I got blocked for asking for help, the blocking admin didn't even look at my article contributions which were nothing like the juvenile edits made by the sock puppet. This is pretty typical of Wikipedia it seems; you are accused of something then blocked by someone looking at 5% of the evidence.
I don't know why I stay. I probably won't stay very long. Wikipedia clearly devalues expertise. It is considered a personal attack to correct something factually incorrect in someone's article. I started looking at Good Articles after watching what appeared to be a malicious block of an editor who contributes a lot to Wikipedia, and, because they appear on the bot alerts. When I attempted to participate in the review of a good article, the editor reviewing it freaked out that someone else commented, although all over the good article review site other editors are invited to comment. This freak out is typical of Wikipedia. That, and the serious non-welcome b the blocking admin who couldn't be bothered to look at anything have doomed my experience here. Wikipedia should be about creating articles, but that is very low on the list of things done here.
What do I edit? Plants, geography, cartography.
