User talk:Loafysam

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Hello, Loafysam! Thank you for your contributions. My name's PrincessofLlyr and I just wanted to say hi and Welcome to Wikipedia! You may benefit from following some of the links below, which will help you get the most out of the world's largest encyclopædia. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and ask your question there. I love to help new users, so don't be afraid to leave a message! Please remember to sign your name on talk pages by clicking

or by typing four tildes "~~~~"; this will automatically produce your name, the date and the time. If you are already loving Wikipedia, you might want to consider being "adopted" by a more experienced editor or joining a WikiProject to collaborate with others in creating and improving articles of your interest. Click here for a directory of all the WikiProjects. Finally, please do your best to always fill in the edit summary field every time you edit. Again, welcome, and happy editing! PrincessofLlyr (talk) 19:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

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Welcome to the Percy Jackson Task Force!

Loafysam, welcome to the Percy Jackson Task Force (PJTF)! We aim to create and improve articles related to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Feel free to post ideas at the PJTF General forums and look at our To Do list for things to do. We are currently aiming to make The Battle of the Labyrinth a good article; you can help! Add {{Wikipedia:PJTF/Update}} to your userpage to keep up with the latest PJTF news. Happy editing, PrincessofLlyr (talk) 19:00, 14 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Talkback

Hello, Loafysam. You have new messages at PrincessofLlyr's talk page.
Message added 18:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC). You can remove this notice at any time by removing the {{Talkback}} or {{Tb}} template.[reply]

PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 18:27, 15 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Interview request

I would be glad to answer any questions you might have. You can post them here, on my talk, at the PJTF talkpage, or in a totally separate subpage. Best of luck with your project! PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 19:49, 19 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks! I greatly appreciate it! I've posted them below. Please feel free to answer them here or, if you prefer, we can do it by e-mail.--loafysam (talk) 20:29, 19 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have e-mail enabled, so I'll just answer them here. I'm kind of busy, so I'll get to those later questions another time. It will be soon! PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 22:20, 19 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I really appreciate your answers below. I liked your description of Wikignome and think that's what I like to do here too so I grabbed a Wikignome box for my userpage:) Please answer the PJTF questions at your convenience. Best, --loafysam (talk) 23:49, 19 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I can answer too.--ℳøℕø 00:41, 24 April 2010 (UTC) [reply]

General Questions:

How long have you been an editor at Wikipedia?

Since May 26, 2009, so about 11 months.

How did you get started? How did you learn the rules? Did you just jump straight into a discussion? Did you find it welcoming, or isolating at first?

My first edit was removing vandalism. (you can see the edit here) Learning the rules was gradual. I tried to read policies as I came across them. User:Airplaneman posted a welcome template with useful links on my talkpage, so I learned some that way. I'm still learning. At first, I did not have much interaction with other editors. My work was on unfrequented pages and very minimal. However, since becoming more active, I have found most users to be friendly and welcoming.

How would you describe yourself as an editor (or, if you prefer, what kinds of edits do you generally make?)

Wikignome. I tend to go for smaller, uncontroversial edits. I do maintenance, cleaning out the unassessed articles categories for various projects. I do some vandal-fighting.

What motivates or inspires you to write and edit for Wikipedia?

Hard to say. Expanding knowledge, helping the project, something to do. They all apply.

How many edits do you think you have made to date?

After this, it will be 4,664. (You can see here).

How many pages do you have on your watchlist? Does it ever change (do you take pages off your watchlist)?

There are currently 239 pages on my watchlist, including user talk, etc. It is continually fluctuating.

What WikiProjects/taskforces are you affiliated with?

Percy Jackson Task force, WikiProject Warriors, and WikiProject Novels.

What articles are you most proud of in terms of your contributions, and why?

That's hard. I tend to contribute gnomishly to many articles. I helped prepare The Titan's Curse for Good Article review. Helping a quality article is always neat. I've done some work on Gary Soto and am one of the main contributors to that page. In general, my contributions to the various projects and task forces listed above.

How would you characterize cooperation or working with others in Wikipedia?

It's very similar to real life, with the exception that here, you can walk away. There are many different viewpoints, temperaments, and ages. You try to work with people, and if you can't, work somewhere else. There is always something you can do. The rules for interacting with people are still the same. Be civil and assume good faith.

More Percy Jackson-specific questions:

How did the PJTF get started? What's your estimate on the number of active registered contributors to PJ articles?

I was not active at the time of creation, but it appears to have been requested by User:Pmlineditor and founded by User:Next-Genn-Gamer. Others may be able to give more detail. About active users, 2-3 very active, 2-5 semi-active, and lots of watchers that keep the pages clean from vandalism.

Can you describe a memorable moment in the creation or maintenance of any of the Percy Jackson pages? Or in the Talk/Discussion sections of those pages? (can be positive or negative)

One specific moment? Um, having The Titan's Curse passed as GA was really cool. We have dealt with an IP claiming to be Rick Riordan, which was something different for me. (the discussion can be found here)

In your opinion, has it been a difficult balance to maintain an encyclopedic tone when writing articles about a fictional character and plot summaries?

Yes. Definitely. It is difficult to maintain the balance of information, remember what the reader knows, and not use original research. It gets better with practice, but the best safeguard against that is multiple users editing the same text.

What are some of the challenges that PJTF/PJTO has faced?

Vandalism is always a challenge, as is fancruft. Also, it can be difficult to find reliable sources for reviews. A lot of the reviewing sites are subscription only, and of course, those links would be better than one from, say, Amazon. Also, there are a lot WP:CRYSTAL violations - new books, a movie sequel, etc.

Do you write fan fiction? If so, how is it different (more or less challenging than collaborating with others in Wikipedia?

No. However, with a guess, I would say a big difference is that writing on Wikipedia is governed by rules and must be backed up with reliable sources.

Thanks so so much!! --loafysam (talk) 20:29, 19 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This might help some. Airplaneman ✈ 03:18, 20 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It really does, thanks, Airplaneman! So interesting to hear the editors discuss how they came to the articles- because they were in dire need of attention. I've been looking at Summer of My German Soldier and it's a bit of a rambling plot disaster- I'm trying to figure out where to begin. Do you (or Princess of Llyr or other editors) have any suggestions?

Also, I wonder if you mind if I ask just a few more questions about the process of eliminating in-world writing or fancruft. How would you describe the process of eliminating in-world writing or fancruft? I guess another way of saying it is, what's your take on the difference between "in-world" contributions and fancruft-y ones, and how might one go about suggesting eliminating them (without getting editors who could be attached to their contributions upset)? Do you rely on new eyes for helping with those decisions? Appreciate your thoughtfulness --loafysam (talk) 05:50, 20 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I've actually had my eye on Summer of My German Soldier too. The plot is too play-by-play. That's the biggest problem, IMO. There are suggestions for improvement on the talk page.

About in-world and fancruft. Eliminating either is much the same. Think of an encyclopedic entry and what is absolutely necessary (that eliminates fancruft) and what the reader has no reason to know already (in-world). In-world contributions tend to use fictional creations, settings, or characters as real ones. Such "Percy Jackson's sword is made of celestial bronze." The reader may or may not have any reason to already know what celestial bronze is. We work around that with this: "a fictional metal which will injure immortals and monsters, but not wound mortals." Also, in-world would be an article that completely focuses on the plot and not any reception or such. Fancruft is excessive detail. This could be in plot summary, list of characteristics, etcetera. Some of those are good, but it can be too much. Getting rid of them, you don't have to suggest anything. No one owns the article. However, if there are other major contributors to an article, you may wish to bring up the question at the talk page. Citing policies, not your own opinion, is a good idea. Also, make exact suggestions for improvement, not general. If no one responds within a reasonable time (anywhere from several days to a few weeks), feel free to make the changes yourself. New eyes are always useful for spotting either of these problems. I hope this answers your questions fully. If you need any clarification, feel free to ask. (I'm still getting to the rest of the questions!) PrincessofLlyr ^{royal court} 12:34, 20 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You couldn't have said it better (difference between fancruft and in-world writing) :) --loafysam (talk) 20:29, 20 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Addition answers

General Questions:

How long have you been an editor at Wikipedia?
I have been an editor since August 2009, however, I've only actively edited since about November.
How did you get started? How did you learn the rules? Did you just jump straight into a discussion? Did you find it welcoming, or isolating at first?
I originally came to try the pretty Beta interface and made some unconstructive edits here and there. Eventually, I discovered Airplaneman, who really helped me.
How would you describe yourself as an editor (or, if you prefer, what kinds of edits do you generally make?)
I would describe myself as a WikiDragon, however, I like to participate in a number of activities. Recently, I've been focusing on article building, AfD, discussion, and project revival due to time constraints.
What motivates or inspires you to write and edit for Wikipedia?
I like the sense of community that actually has a purpose. Instead of mindlessly dribbling nonsense (see the link), an editor is building (or destroying) something that will last a while.
How many edits do you think you have made to date?
I've made over 7,500 edits currently.
How many pages do you have on your watchlist? Does it ever change (do you take pages off your watchlist)?
Um… I don't like the watchlist a lot; I use it to monitor changes, especially in discussions. It gets so out of hand (half the articles on my list were articles I flagged for WP:CSD and were deleted) and I don't use it that often.
What WikiProjects/taskforces are you affiliated with?
WP:MAC (coordinator), WP:39 (coordinator), WP:GOOGLE (coordinator), WP:AFC and WP:IPHONE. What articles are you most proud of in terms of your contributions, and why?
Doodle4Google, Conversation threading, The 39 Clues (in progress), iAd (recently), iPhone SDK (recently). I don't know why; maybe because I created them?

Quick note: mono didn't create The 39 Clues; User:Slicedoranges did :) Airplaneman ✈ 01:48, 26 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

How would you characterize cooperation or working with others in Wikipedia?
Consensus, Civility, Calm, frequent breaks, Sarcasm, biting, ARBCOM.

More on interview

This will provide you with a lot of information about the PJTF. BTW, what class are you doing a report on Wikipedia for? I certainly haven't had a chance to do something like this. Airplaneman ✈ 22:45, 21 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Airplaneman, it's for a graduate class called "Digital Geographies and Virtual Spaces". More specifically, I study uses of digital technology/computer-mediated communication in education. The fact that middle school/high school and even college classes aren't looking at the "behind-the-scenes" aspects of Wikipedia, and the kinds of interactions that go on to produce what people see as the finished "artifact", is troubling to me (many schools as you know ban Wikipedia outright as a reference, and won't even think about its potential in improving writing/editing skills, or in producing knowledge, etc.) My experience is that most educators have a very narrow view of Wikipedia that they pass onto their students, unless they make some valuable editorial contributions themselves to articles, do a bit of observing and probing of article histories and discussions, and/or have students engage in such a task ...Wikipedia is thus more often than not seen as an unstable and vitriolic place rather than a place where new forms of "informal" learning, often of the self-directed sort (or guided by others with similar interests), can take place. Hope that helps...if I was a teacher for any age or grade level, I would absolutely have students look at Wikipedia through a critical and particpatory lens. loafysam (talk) 17:14, 22 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That's cool :). Did you find the link helpful? I can try to answer more questions if you have any, Airplaneman ✈ 01:44, 5 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The link was extremely helpful, but I would love it if you personally answered some more questions, since you're one of the most active members on the task force! If you don't mind me asking here, I'll just post a few of them below:

What are some of the main reasons why you contribute to Wikipedia?
Why are you so dedicated to your work in PJTF?
How would you describe your Wikipedia editing habits? By that I mean, do you work on editing various WP articles for about a half hour a day, or more? Do you have a dedicated amount of time that you edit, or do you space out your editing time throughout the day? How long do you typically spend editing PJ articles?
Do you ever experience "fatigue" from having to battle article vandals? What's been the most difficult or challenging experience you've had in working on this task force? And here's a final interesting question I have for you: as I have been studying interactions of the PJTF across, I am simply amazed by the vastness of PJTF articles and talk pages (aren't there 69 articles in the task force?), and how the PJTF editors coordinate work across all these pages. How do you do it? I feel like the logical place to coordinate certain kinds of work would be on the PJTF main page, but I feel like most editing suggestions and communication are article-specific and that gets discussed on individual article talk pages. There are so many places in the PJTF to post questions and suggestions and no real centralized place for it (except I guess on the main PJTF page)- so my question to you is, as an active editor who seems to be watching all of these pages, can you tell me how you're managing to watch all of these pages, edit, and contribute to discussions? It's impressive:)
PS. Do you like WP's new look/WYSIWYG editor?
Gracias! loafysam (talk) 02:04, 5 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]