Wikipedia:Online Ambassadors/Apply/wcrowe

The following discussion is preserved as an archive of a Online Ambassador application, the result of which is admission to the program as an ambassador-in-training.

The consensus seems to come down for ambassador-in-training.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 18:40, 7 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

wcrowe

wcrowe (talk · contribs)

Why do you want to be a Wikipedia Ambassador?
Wikipedia is an opportunity for experts to share their knowledge with the world. Wikipedia articles have the potential to be more in-depth and more informative than traditional encyclopedia articles because they are not limited in space or in the level of involvement.
In three sentences or less, summarize your involvement with Wikimedia projects.
I have limited my involvement mainly to areas in which I feel qualified to make a useful contribution. I have been involved with the Dog Breeds Project for several years. Other areas of interest are theology, Eastern Orthodoxy, military-related topics, and computers.
Please indicate a few articles to which you have made significant content contributions. (e.g. DYK, GA, FA, major revisions/expansions/copyedits).
United Kennel Club, Dog park (dogs), Water dog, Therapy dog, Canine Good Citizen, Epagneul Pont-Audemer, iSeries QSHELL, Mossberg 500
How have you been involved with welcoming and helping new users on Wikipedia?
I have had few opportunities to interact with new users. Nevertheless, I believe I can help new users. I have worked as an adjunct professor of computer science, and regularly teach dog training. There have been occasions where I have improved on a poor edit -- helping others get their message across.
What do you see as the most important ways we could welcome newcomers or help new users become active contributors?
I think most new contributors are intimidated by Wiki markup code. A lot of people know what they want to say, but don't know how to get it in a Wiki format.
Have you had major conflicts with other editors? Blocks or bans? Involvement in arbitration? Feel free to offer context, if necessary.
I don't recall ever having a major conflict. There have been times when I have disagreed strongly with other editors, and I will admit to being rather terse with editors who are either not serious, or have an agenda.
How often do you edit Wikipedia and check in on ongoing discussions? Will you be available regularly for at least two hours per week, in your role as a mentor?
I check in with my Wikipedia watch list nearly every day. A few of the articles I am interested in are prone to vandalism and the more eyes on these, the better. I do not think it would be a problem to devote at least two hours per week.
What else should we know about you that is relevant to being a Wikipedia Ambassador?
I take Wikipedia seriously and I would like the world to take Wikipedia seriously. To accomplish that goal, it is important to have good editors. We need more people who can be objective, write reasonably well, and learn Wiki markup.

Discussion

Why not. I can't see any problems --Guerillero | My Talk 22:51, 11 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I'd like to see a bit more activity; right now it's a few edits scattered throughout several months. /ƒETCH COMMS / 03:01, 12 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Has been editing for over 6 years, so most likely knows what they're doing. Recent activity has been sporadic, yes, but what there is seems fine. --Geniac (talk) 03:30, 12 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Low level of activity is a bit of a concern for me. 6 years, but just over 500 edits in that time. I'd lean toward asking wcrowe to be an ambassador-in-training first.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 17:17, 14 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Ambassadors in Training if we elicit a guarantee of participation for the length of the term, same concern as Sage, Sadads (talk) 12:12, 15 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
- I left a note on wcrowe's talk page a few days ago, but no response yet.--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 14:19, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
  - I initially hesitated to respond because I wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Then I just forgot about it. I am still not sure how to respond. I have yet to have been asked any questions. I don't feel the need to defend my number of edits. It is what it is. I'm not sure what the number of edits has to do with anything. I could easily spend all day tweaking articles, changing a word here or there and the number would be much higher. It seems like a meaningless number to me. I have downloaded and installed Mediawiki on my own web space and set up my own Wikis on subjects that interest me (the iSeries computer platform and Eastern Orthodoxy). There is nothing better than a Wiki for organizing various, unstructured data on subjects and linking those subjects together. If wikis had been around when I was in college, I would have been a straight-A student with a PhD. The point is, I've made hundreds of edits to these wikis, which don't count for anything.
  - I recently read that Wikimedia was concerned about the proportionate lack of female editors. My gut feeling as to why this is, is the same reason that there is a proportionately low number of females in computing and engineering professions. A Wiki requires technical skill to edit. Women are often intimidated by technology. As a programmer with 28 years of experience, and a long time user of wikis, I think I have the skills necessary to help others learn how to contribute.
  - And you can add one more edit to my list. Sadads misspelled "guarantee".Wcrowe (talk) 15:08, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
    - Thanks. The main thing I was looking for was evidence that (as you say you will) you're likely to be checking in on Wikipedia often enough to give timely help as an ambassador. Some people express interest in this (or other roles on Wikipedia), but then stop responding and don't follow through. So with relatively little edit history on Wikipedia, spread out over a long period, that was the concern. Wikipedia editing experience (not the number of edits per se) is an important qualification for being a mentor, though... the trickier parts of the role involve giving not just technical advice, but advice about how to work effectively within Wikipedia's policies and how to navigate Wikipedia's processes. But since you've followed up, I'm happy to add my support for you as an ambassador-in-training. If that sounds good to you, I'll close this application and welcome you to the program. Cheers--Sage Ross - Online Facilitator, Wikimedia Foundation (talk) 15:19, 22 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]
      - I'd support for ambassador-in-training! Ed ^{[talk] [majestic titan]}