User:Jeff Bedford

Talk · Contributions · Edit count

My name is Jeff Taylor, and I have been referencing Wikipedia for a long while now. I first experienced Wikipedia in 2004, when researching the history of my hometown, Bedford, Massachusetts (hence my username, Jeff_Bedford). While I consider myself to have graduated from the longtime listener, first time caller stage of the Wikipedia editing community, I continue to learn new perspectives and ways of approaching intricate subjects via discussions and interactions with bright Wikipedians on a regular basis - which in large part is what maintains my interest in the project.

One of the systematic aspects I have taken interest in exploring is article structure, specifically in cases where the entity/organization/subject of the article has arrived at its present form by way of a history of mergers, name changes, acquisitions, or other means of additions or divestments. Such complex and continually evolving histories - common in large entities/organizations - often (though not always) tend to result in out-of-date and inconsistent representation on Wikipedia, since frequent changes in organizational ownership, structure and operations result in certain sections to be updated while others are not, and at times occur at a pace/level of complexity which is challenging to keep up with on Wikipedia.

There is certainly no silver bullet approach for such situations; however in many cases the article simply needs a handful of Wikipedians to take a step back, look at the big picture and reach consensus on how to update/restructure in a way that is comprehensive and readable while keeping brevity in mind.

COI Disclosure: In the interest of best adhering to Wikipedia's WP:COI guideline, and also taking into account guidance outlined in the plain and simple conflict of interest guide, I find it important to disclose upfront that, where appropriate, I propose changes (via Talk pages) to articles related to clients of my employer, MXM (a division of Meredith Corp.). I am here to advance Wikipedia's aims of building a neutral, well-sourced free encyclopedia, and will not at any point allow my own interests to supersede those of the project.

I have carefully read through Wikipedia's policies regarding neutral point of view, verifiability and reliable sources, and see it as crucial to follow these and the other core content and conduct policies closely. I am firmly opposed to non-encyclopedic puffery, marketing speak and original research that would detract from the project's aims. Although I rarely propose the creation of new articles (and when I do, I leave the final decisions up to the consensus of others), I am mindful of what constitutes enduring notability.

I recognize the inherent challenge of contributing to the Wikipedia community while mitigating the chance for bias presented by a conflict of interest, and for that reason I always ask for independent input and seek out consensus via article Talk pages and related Wikiprojects before any substantive changes are made. While I initially made direct edits after establishing consensus, I now refrain from making any direct edits myself, and instead choose to propose suggestions on Talk pages and allow uninvolved editors to make the final call on whether or not my proposed changes should be implemented into the article. With this approach, I seek to bring a subject matter expertise and ability to obtain hard-to-find reliable sources to the community (to more fully bring articles up to Wikipedia's own standards), while also ensuring that resulting changes to an article are the product of community consensus.

I am also cognizant of WP:OWN and view Wikipedia as a work in progress, so as questions or later input regarding the edits that I have made arise, please feel free to leave a message for me on my User Talk page.

In short, I try to keep an open and objective mindset, and will always take care to ensure that my participation consistently upholds Wikipedia's mission and aims. I am always up for discussion (though I do sleep), so don't hesitate to drop me a line.