User talk:ComradeMagpie

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Hi ComradeMagpie! We're so happy you wanted to play to learn, as a friendly and fun way to get into our community and mission. I think these links might be helpful to you as you get started.

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About The Wikipedia Adventure | Hang out in the Interstellar Lounge

-- 00:47, 28 September 2024 (UTC)

On Getting Started

@Novem Linguae:

Hello! I'm green to Wikipedia editing but very willing to learn.

You seem like an experienced, practical fellow who might have to tips for starting out.

Thanks, hope I'm not too much of a bother. Comrade Magpie (talk) 02:09, 30 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. Welcome to Wikipedia. Got any specific questions for me? That might help me provide some useful info. –Novem Linguae (talk) 00:47, 1 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

As a newcomer, how much am I supposed to change things? Obviously there’s the WP:BOLD thing going on but there are standards to be upheld. You know, because WP:CLUE quite reasonably says I’ve not a clue what the hell I’m doing.
Adding citations in a manner representative of the topic. If I want to do it right, I’d want to do a decent amount of background researching first to make sure people have generally reached consensus on the topic, and if not I can add a different perspective. That feels inefficient. Oh, Wikipedia admin, in your infinite wisdom, grace me with a shortcut.
How much should jargon be broken down? Does all “jargon” have to be explained or should it be linked to other articles? What is the standard for jargon? How much basic knowledge should editors assume people have? I read high school level somewhere. That is still an incredible amount of variation.

A personal curiosity: What do you do in the Wikipedia back rooms? I am disappointingly unversed in code so have no idea what you’re doing back there. Comrade Magpie (talk) 09:58, 1 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

1) If it's something that you feel is uncontroversial or it is a low traffic article, those are good situations to make the change. If you think it might be controversial, an article talk page message to check the temperature first (before making the edit) can be helpful. Even if you get reverted once in awhile, even though you get a big red ping in the ping box and it might sting a bit, it's not a big deal, it's just part of the WP:BRD process. In general if you're reverted, give the reverter the benefit of the doubt until you're a bit more experienced.

2) You don't usually want to add citations to existing text. ~~That is a bit WP:CARTBEFOREHORSE or WP:BACKWARD.~~ You'll usually want to focus on adding citations to text you add. That way folks know where your new text is coming from.

Adding citations to existing text is still acceptable if you want to go work on Category:All articles with unsourced statements or something and isn't a big deal. I wouldn't overthink it. Although keep in mind the {{Citation needed}} tag often flags text that editors find dubious, and that removing the text completely may be just as good an option as trying to add a citation for it.

3) I think one wikilinked mystery word (a word you don't understand) per sentence would probably be OK, but if you have to click on a bunch of wikilinks to understand the sentence, or non-wikilinked words cause you comprehension difficulties, then the sentence is probably written unclearly or is using too much jargon. Some copy editing can easily fix it. It is certainly possible to write any idea clearly, using building blocks that a non-expert can understand. Sentences can have more than one wikilink and that's fine -- I'm specifically referring to "mystery" words that you as a non-expert aren't familiar with.

Also, looks like your signature is broken. It is wikilinking to User:Comrade Magpie instead of User:ComradeMagpie. You may want to fix it by changing the appropriate portion to [[User:ComradeMagpie|Comrade Magpie]].

Hope that helps. Happy editing. –Novem Linguae (talk) 10:19, 1 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Aww thank you! I really appreciate the response.

1) Yes, I'd rather not start fights when I don't know what I'm doing. Talk page seems like good advice. I didn't realize that was an application of it.

2) Adding citations for the {{Citation needed}} tagged articles was what I was doing. So I suppose how much effort I put into finding a single citation will depend on how much time I have. Of course, when eventually writing articles, it's best practice to... you know, do the research first.

3) Wonderful. The "can you understand a sentence" criteria seems like excellent general advice as well. It's nice to have some kind of standard written out.

Fixed my signature! Yay!

Do you write code for Wikipedia because you've been assigned to or because it's a thing you thought would be convenient? Do you have an idea for a featured article yet? It's been a while since you've patrolled. How long-term are the long-term goals? Comrade Magpie (talk) 01:28, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Do you write code for Wikipedia because you've been assigned to or because it's a thing you thought would be convenient? I like making things more efficient. It's probably part of my personality. If I immerse myself in something and it is disorganized or not super efficient, I start coming up with ideas how to improve it. And because I know how to code, those ideas often end up becoming user scripts. Do you have an idea for a featured article yet? I'd probably write some more good articles first, then pick the best one to try to take to FA. Not all GAs will make it through FA. It's been a while since you've patrolled. How long-term are the long-term goals? Quite long term, apparently ;-) I could grind out some more NPP reviews, but then I'd have to sacrifice something else such as coding. Pros and cons. –Novem Linguae (talk) 01:37, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Ha yeah, inefficiency sure is annoying. I can keep organized digitally so now I've got to figure out how to keep my desk from becoming a train wreck every week or so. That's why I've been trying to find time to code but it's been rough. Calendar shenanigans.

There are 75 featured articles on fungi and only nine on computing so I think you'll be alright.

It would be pretty funny if you turned the patrol process into a little game using this flowchart. Simply click yes and no and have your program spit out the next decision to make. Ah well, making something useful like a user script I'd find a lot more satisfying than checking article after article. Comrade Magpie (talk) 01:47, 2 October 2024 (UTC)[reply]