Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I edited Wikipedia!

I am the hero [-of-the-moment] of my own life!
I just edited a Wikipedia article for the first time.


I am now a Wikipedian.

A couple hours ago, I'd started blogging here about the Jackson book I've been editing forever, and how it now has a cool photo

of Catharine Beecher >
(sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe).

Then I wrote:
I've mentioned before that CB started a women's letter-writing campaign to protest Jackson's Indian Removal policy.

Hm---that's not mentioned in her Wikipedia article
If I were a better person, I'd figure out how to add it...

And then I thought, 
Wait… I am a better person than to leave it at that; I can do this.

So I did.

Have you edited Wikipedia?
It was pretty easy:
I went to Beecher's page, selected the "edit" tab along the top, and it prompted me to "create an account".

Editing is pretty straightforward, though it took me a couple tries to add links to external sources. Also, I should have composed my entry beforehand, using more short sentences à la Verlyn Klinkenborg. Oh well, I was too excited.

Beecher's page now has a subheading "Opposition to Indian Removal Bill":
There's a lot more that could be said, of course, but this at least points readers to a more complete source (footnote 2), the article "Mobilizing Women, Anticipating Abolition: The Struggle against Indian Removal in the 1830s". 
For editing work, I often use Wikipedia for exactly that-- to find citeable sources. I sometimes follow up links for my own interest too.

Will my addition just… stay there? Do you know?
Oh, never mind--I looked it up--according to Wikipeida's editing Tutorial, other editors can "revert" your edit if they want. I guess I'll see if anyone does.

Wikipedia, you could get to be a habit with me.

4 comments:

bink said...

Good for you! That looks great! And such useful information to add.

Fresca said...

Thanks, bink! YOU would be great at this! ENDLESS HOURS OF FUN!!!!

Zhoen said...

That is wonderful and amazing. Good for you.

ArtSparker said...

Sweet.