Hello, I am New Media Theorist. I joined Wikipedia as a registered user since:
I think it is a great open-source resource of information! Great resources deserve attention from their users. Having used it for a decade or more (I recall seeing Wikipedia for the first time in my graduate student office at university around 2004: wow!), I figured it was time to pony up some effort.
I started using the Internet back in the late 1980's when my roommate brought home a VT100 (pic above). Since then I have worked extensively online, in many collaborative formats. Universities are also my natural home: I like the environment for discourse and inquiry. I like the anonymous aspect of Wikipedia, but I will reveal that prior to this account I made a total of probably 300 edits since 2003 on Wikipedia. I've never been blocked, shaken down, held for questioning, arrested, investigated, pulled over, searched, called before a grand jury or sanctioned for any of my Wikipedia activity, probably because I was just reading most of the time.
Many Wikipedians are kind and sometimes also very funny! Sadly, some are not. Oh well. Here are some barnstars from users who see the value of sending newbies good vibes!
The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
For faithfully working to prevent WP from being turned into the Yellow Pages. LavaBaron (talk) 03:34, 6 September 2015 (UTC)
The Excellent New Editor's Barnstar A new editor on the right path
You sure have hit the ground running! Please accept this well deserved barnstar for your excellent contributions to the encyclopedia. Ashenai (talk) 19:26, 10 September 2015 (UTC)