User:Monikasj/sandbox/bold

23 Wikipedia Things

23 Wiki Things is a self-directed guide for public library staff to engage with Wikipedia. Learn about Wikipedia’s editing community, referencing policies and editorial flow. Connect with others doing the same. No previous experience editing Wikipedia required. For a guided course in a supportive community of practice tailored to public library staff, enroll in the free Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together online training program.

1. Create a new account

Open Wikipedia and create a new account. Choose a unique username—this does not need to be your real name. Watch this short video (49 seconds!) with examples of Wikipedia usernames worldwide. Later (in "Thing" 4) you'll reflect on this as I have done below.

Reflection (these are formatted as block quotes)

I first created by username Shameran81 in 2012. I created Monikasj more recently, primarily to be easier to find -- Monikasj resembles my real name. Additionally, I can mark my work as an WIR with the OCLC Wikipedia + Libraries: Better Together project in a dedicated account. What strikes me as interesting and unique about Wikipedia usernames is their playfulness and individuality. People sometimes choose very fun usernames! Also, at the Wikipedia events I've gone to, people sometimes introduce themselves by their usernames because -- hey, that's how they've socialized on Wikipedia with other users. What also strikes me as unique is the assumption—written into the technical configuration of accounts—that one username = one single (autonomous, rational) person. Of course, this maintains editing continuity and establishes trust between other editors. It's not all that different from other social media platforms that also seek to ensure one username is used by one person. But since often people do share accounts or create multiple accounts (e.g. my whole family shares a Netflix acct, a person creates more than one username), some platforms have developed technical tools to makes this variation recognizable. For instance, on Netflix, one account can have multiple users, Facebook has business accounts. Whereas on Wikipedia, this isn't the case, technically at least. Moreover, sock puppetry is frowned upon, understandably. (FYI, I just learned this term and it's awesome.) I should read up on this history and policy more. Additionally, while "context collapse" is increasingly the norm for individuals on sociality-focused social media platforms such as Twitter, Wikipedia traffics in referencing not personal information. I do think that professionals new to Wikipedia who are accustomed to sharing institutional accounts may find the individual imperative at odds with their other habits, particularly since editing isn't about them but about a topic. In some ways, I find the assumption that each editor can and should own her edits with her own account endearing. I'll have to think more about why I feel that way. ~MSJ May 1, 2017

2. Enable both editing modes

Set up access to both editing modes on Wikipedia. After you've created your new account you will “X” out of the ‘welcome new editor’ popups. On the top right, find and click “Preferences.” Select “Editing.” In the drop-down below, choose “Show both editors.” “Edit” opens Visual Editor, a WYSIWYG editor with familiar word processor-like features. “Edit source” opens plain text editing, which uses a modified-html markup.

Reflections:

I didn't mind using wiki-markup. I really didn't, I am kind of a nerd like that. But I'm SO glad to have Visual Editor. Referencing especially is much easier this way. But for crying out loud, why does enabling "both" have to be so complicated? It's a shame that bypassing the super-awkward stream of confusing popups and going straight to preferences has to be the second "thing" in this Wikipedia in 23 Things series. I hope someone who knows how to change this reads this and does something about it. Or tells me how to do something. ~MSJ, May 1, 2017

3. Create a user profile page

Click on your username, in red, on the top right. You don’t have a user page yet, do you? (If you do, you’re ahead, give yourself a pat on the back. You can skip this third “thing”). Click “Start your user page.” Select “Edit.” Write something about yourself, a line or two will suffice—you’re just getting started. Remember to save. You can “preview” your changes first. This isn’t that hard, right?

Reflections:

So I am ahead of the game, I already have a user page. Here's a link to my first user page. Spoiler: The bar is pretty low. ~MSJ, May 1, 2017

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What is a Wikipedia sandbox? A space to play around.

4. Copy 23 Wikipedia Things to your sandbox

What is "Sandbox," you ask? As you may have guessed, it's a metaphorical place to practice Wikipedia editing. Select "Sandbox" on the top right of your user page. Click "Edit" to get started editing your sandbox. Paste in these instructions. Now you have a place to record your experience with 23 Wikipedia Things!

Now go back and reflect on the first three "Wikipedia Things" you’ve accomplished. As you document your Wikipedia journey, be creative and reflect on what you're learning. Insert the link to your sandbox entry on your user page.

Reflection:

Alright, it's taken me about twenty minutes to get this far. Is that too much? No, right? It will probably take more time for folks who've never done this before. And that's okay, right? Yes, carry on. Oh. And here's how I've inserted the link to 23 Wikipedia Things in my user page profile. I also inserted an image of a sandbox. ~MSJ, May 1, 2017

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5. Join 23 Wikipedia Things on Facebook

Introduce yourself and share your Wikipedia user name in the comments after the pinned introductory post. Find someone else who has commented and check out their user page. [Example]

Reflection:

I have created this group, 23 Wikipedia Things ~MSJ, May 2, 2017

6. Say hello to another user on their "Talk" page

"Talk" pages are where Wikipedia editors communicate with one another. Click "Edit "on a user's individual talk page to write a message to the user. If you edit an article's "Talk" page the topic should be the content of the article. In either case, "Tag" users you'd like to converse with by inserting a link to their username, this step ensures they receive a notification about your comment. [See example]

Reflections:

7. Explore the parts of a Wikipedia article ("Article," "Talk," "Edit," "History")

Revisit a Wikipedia article in your browser history or click on a random article. Every Wikipedia article has three parts: the article (and it’s editable interface), "Talk," and "History." "Talk," as described in "Wikipedia Thing 6," is where Wikipedia editors discuss article content. Meanwhile, "History" logs every saved edit. View content additions (marked by character additions in green) and edit comments. Poke around and consider "thanking" someone for their edit. Reflect on what you’ve learned about the parts of a Wikipedia article in your sandbox.

Reflections:

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8. Get Wikipedia's essentials in a 23 minute tutorial

Wait, 23 minutes for one of 23 things? Trust us, the time you'll spend on this tutorial is time well spent. You know how informative it is to sight-see with a guide? If the 23 Wikipedia Things is a hop-on, hop-off self-guided experience that stretches for weeks, this tutorial is a tour you take before lunch. Easy-to-follow, the tutorial also includes self-esteem boosting quizzes.

Reflections:

9. Do the citation hunt

The citation hunt tool pulls up unverified claims on Wikipedia. As you know, an encyclopedia is only as credible as its list of authoritative, verifiable references. When library staff add verified references to Wikipedia, this not only improves the encyclopedia, it serves the mission of public libraries. The citation hunt helps you get started!

Reflections:

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10. Find a Wikipedia article about your neighborhood

Does your neighborhood (or other geographically specific region near to you, such as your suburb, town, county, or landmarks) visible on Wikipedia? Does it have a page? How developed is this page? If there is no page, are there mentions on other pages? What references do you have for the history of this locale. What would you suggest be added?

Reflections:

11. Mull over Wikipedia's reliability

Read this essay on Wikipedia's reliability and review this reference guide. What makes Wikipedia more or less reliable than other online sources of news and information (e.g. forums, search engine results, social media, media portals)?

Reflections:

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12. Name your conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest describes a situation, it's not a judgement about a person's opinions or integrity. Editors are discouraged from editing on subjects that they are close to, the site's terms of use require editors disclose affiliations. Subjects that fall into this category are your family, friends, and employers. Paid editing is a conflict of interest. Add a COI statement to your user page (look here, here, or here for examples). Nevertheless, many editors are employed and engage with the Wikipedia community about subjects with which they are affiliated. Read the plain and simple conflict of interest guide for guidance. Ultimately, there's a difference between subject matter expertise and conflicts of interest. Editing pages related to your library's reputation and profile raises concerns about COI, editing related to your library's holdings and collections does not.

13. Add a category

Categories, which can be added to any article, are an easy way to edit and improve Wikipedia. You can even create new categories. Add a category to your page (Wikipedia Librarians is a good one but there might be others—have fun and explore). Check out categories on other people’s user pages. Here are some other categories that Wikipedians have created to describe themselves.

Reflections:

14. Install the Wikipedia app

On a smart phone or tablet, download and install the Wikipedia application. Enable the “nearby” feature to explore articles that are close to your location. What’s here? What is missing? When might someone use the mobile app? When would you use it?

Reflections:

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There was a storm yesterday and today these cherry blossoms were blanketing the sidewalk. "Wikipedia 23 Things participants will love this, " I thought as I snapped a photo. It didn't long to upload to Commons. I emailed it to myself and uploaded from my computer. Mobile uploads were disabled because of multiple copyright violations.

15. Upload a photo to Wikimedia Commons

Take and upload to Wikimedia Commons an encyclopedic photograph. Subjects to photograph include natural landscapes, animals, plants, useful or non-artistic objects, or original maps, graphs and diagrams. Once you share your image on Wikipedia Commons, you grant anyone permission to use, copy, modify, and sell it (as long as they follow the rules of the license). For this reason, you can't upload images of work created by or based on the work of others. Material that's off-limits material includes logos, DVD/CD covers, art work, drawings of recognizable/copyrighted characters (even if you drew them), and most pictures posted on the internet. Here's a handy guide to taking photos. Then, insert your photo on your Sandbox page.

Reflections:

I ended up uploading three photos, couldn't help myself. #wikipediaisfun

16. Take a social media break

Peruse tweets tagged with #wikipedia. Scroll through Tumblr’s Citation Needed blog for a laugh. When is Wikipedia mentioned by the press? Any other places you hear Wikipedia referenced -- share in your reflections and on the Facebook page.

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17. Read a Featured Article

And as a lively reference source that is always under revision, English-language Wikipedia's 5,399,217 (and counting) articles are generally always under development. However some are more complete than others. Unlike "Stubs," which are a bare skeleton of an article, over 5,000 articles are "Featured " (~0.1%), and another 26,000+ are categorized as "Good" articles. There's a criteria and review process to earn these featured statuses. Moreover, articles can be removed from the list. Read articles that represent Wikipedia's very best work. Consider which categories that might receive a lot of page views, but need more featured articles (e.g. articles on health and medicine).

Reflections:

18. Add "Citation Needed," twice

Surely in the last 17 things you've come across unverified claims. Plop the "Citation needed" at the end of one of those sentences. To get this footnote, insert a "template" then select the first available template when you look up "citation needed." If the entire article is wanting, insert the "Unreferenced" template at the top of the article, as above, found by searching in "Templates" for "Unreferenced."

Readers everywhere will be more aware thanks to your efforts. And perhaps someone will now verify the claim as a part of the Citation hunt!

19. Give someone a barnstar!

Show your gratitude for another users' contributions by giving them a "barnstar!" Have you made a new Wikipedia friend during this journey? Have they done any editing? There are many different kinds of barnstars. There's even a barnstar for Librarians Who Wikipedia! Go to their "Talk" page, click on the "heart" icon and deliver something nice to their page. Everyone will feel good!

Reflection:

I gave a local Wikipedian an Art+Feminism barnstar for organizing two Art+Feminism editing events.

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20. Visit the Wikipedia:Teahouse

Teahouse is a friendly place to ask questions from other editors about Wikipedia. What are common questions and how are they resolved? Do you have a question you'd like answered about editing? Teahouse is the place to go for help from the community.

Reflection:

21. Join a WikiProject

Connect with other editors working on improving Wikipedia on a shared topic or theme. There are a number of WikiProjects that help guide editors towards articles, lists, or categorization opportunities. Some projects are more active than others. Once you join, you can also put a "badge" on your page marking your membership. This gives you easy access to the Project Page when you want to connect.

Reflection:

22. Print Wikipedia

Do patrons ask for printed reference materials? You can download and print out materials from Wikipedia to share as pdf files. Edit and post biographies of local authors or notable political figures to have around your library. Share materials on subjects that matter to your communities in a printed form, vulnerable community members without reliable access to the internet may benefit especially from printed Wikipedia, such as prisoners or homeless patrons.

Reflection:

23. Plan a Wikipedia editing event

Congrats!

Get everyone involved, feature books, authors, themes at your library or partner with another organization to host a Wikipedia event. What can you do with this?

Reflection:

More information

Materials needed

• Desktop or laptop computer
• Internet access
• Digital camera, cords to transfer photos

Caution

• May be difficult using a mobile phone or tablet