User:JakeS

This article originally exists largely to prevent my signature standing out in red, and also to make my broader position known to anyone who finds my sig in discussions, thus it consists largely of a collection of vaguely-related assertions in no particular order.

I joined Wikipedia originally in order to edit out spurious information and pure supposition I had found uncited in articles - despite this, I would generally call myself an inclusionist; I believe that the general real value of Wikipedia is as much its 'Long Tail' of not-so-notable articles as its high-profile biographies of politicians and explanations of scientific principles. Thus, I have a... distaste for motions to remove articles purely on the grounds of 'notability' or 'importance', and believe these to be flawed and egotistical criteria with which to filter an information repository.

I suspect that nearly all of my edits will consist of removal or correction of misinformation or speculation - which I will typically only perform in articles the subject of which I feel comfortable that I know sufficiently to be certain that the speculation is also unfounded or the information incorrect, which largely means articles of immediate interest to me - or spelling and grammar corrections, which irk me nearly as much. Or rewordings of awkward or over-long sentences, such as the previous one.

I can write concise and clear sentences, but verbosity comes to me more readily, and while I am happy to spend time trying to improve the quality of Wikipedia, I would rather not spend more time than is necessary on the discussion side (which smells too much like politics to me) so I won't bother much to shorten my remarks. Or my user page.

I am always happy to be proved wrong or corrected, and almost as happy to have my motives and methods questioned. I will do my best to behave in what I believe to be an objective and consistent manner, but am more than willing to hear and discuss criticism... so long as anyone criticising me is also willing to discuss it.

My given name is 'Jake Staines', hence the username, but I have been calling myself 'Sar' on internet forums (for various reasons) for so long now that it seems a more appropriate label for the benefit of anyone who does recognise me.