User:Xuanwu
I have degrees in both Biology and History (specifically, the History of Science and Technology and the History of China). I am currently attending graduate school at Yale University.
I have been online some 15+ years total, before the days of AOL and Windows 95. I still remember DOS and the VT-180. Ah, the days before the BSoD... :)
My first edit with a username was October 14, 2003. My user page has only been vandalized a few times so far (once by an IP and another time by a Wiki editor), thank goodness.
Pages I help edit
Tsunami Channel - Maintenance, mainly. I've helped expand it greatly.
WPI - My first alma mater (Yale is my second).
Hess Educational Organization - An article I started; they're the largest private provider of English instruction in the Republic of China.
Fansubs - I took it from a few paragraphs that didn't have any coherent presentation of either side of the issue and helped expand it into something much more NPOV, as well as adding some much needed sources on digital downloading.
G-On Riders - The first anime article I've made from scratch.
Sublunary - A webcomic article I started.
Meganekko - I expanded this a bit.
Sailor Starlights - I helped build this one into one of the most extensive pages related to Sailor Moon. It's even served as a template for the other character pages for its inclusion of music and Seramyu.
Okashina Okashi - Started this page and have fleshed it out with time, making it a very comprehensive source page. Unfortunately, it was deleted thanks to deletionist meat puppetry on the part of a couple Wiki editors (see below for "Wiki Fallacies"). I'm already in the process of making this comic notable enough so that a DRV will be successful and the article restored.
Rules of Make Believe - A project on hiatus. Maybe it'll come back some day.
pOnju - Deleted after Mr. pOnju decided to fill it with personal attacks. Ouch. If the forum ever becomes notable again, though, steps to make sure he doesn't cause it to be deleted a second time have been taken (i.e. RfC and possible ban).
I'm also interested in doing the Wiki Voice, once I get a working mic.
On Wiki Contributions
Information is key for an Encyclopedia. What's also important is for each article to provide a context and to demonstrate it's important by its impact. The influence a show, comic, or other item has had on other items is invaluable information.
Avoid Wiki Fallacies
There's an unfortunately growing number of Wiki users who simply cannot seem to function by true Wiki standards. There's a one-word name (a neoligism) to describe them, but since it's derived from the online name of a certain Wiki user, attempts to specify who it is get labeled "Personal attacks" and swept under the rug (see this page's edit history for what it is). The specific person can be found listed at places like Encyclopedia Dramatica along with many others with similar issues (though the Jimbo Wales article there is purely satirical and all in good fun).
Just as logic is best learned by studying fallacies, so too can good Wiki behavior be learned by studying a bad Wiki editor. A person is a bad Wiki editor if all or most of the following apply:
- Deletes articles more than contributes;
- Engages in WikiHate while pretending to be "a neutral editor";
- Is incapable of understanding how one piece of art influences others;
- Harasses other members by reverting their edits for no reason;
- Removes any and all references to a show or comic just to spite the author;
- Assumes bad faith;
- Accuses other editors of being "creepy" for no reason;
- Takes anything posted on Encyclopedia Dramatica seriously;
- Has a shortsighted idea about sources, unbecoming a Wiki contributor;
- Abuses admin powers;
- Thinks other Wikiusers are out to kill him/her;
- Tries to "cover up" legitimate complaints by banning or deleting edits;
- Always votes against restoring a deleted article, no matter the merits of the case; and,
- Puffs himself/herself up by taking quotes from Jimbo Wales out of context.
In short: don't do the above stuff and don't follow the lead of those who do.