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Stumbled over an article about Wikipedia from a greater mess of articles about Wikipedia. I can't quite remember how I ended up surfing there, but I wanted to note the article brings up something I discovered for myself.
Jason Scott, the article writer (and I believe an original Wikipedia programmer), states plainly that energy is wasted, and interesting nuggets of information lost due to the easy access to edit and fiddle by anyone (including those without an account, only noted by IP addy, something I had not realized). Anyone can also include those with social capital in Wikipedia itslef, (often transferred into authority as an admin). And the end result is that people stop contributing content.
In my case I felt confused, crushed, angry and then walked away from an article that no one else had bothered to create; but where people felt it was suddenly necessary to rephrase my sentences and paragraphs, and correct my very British spelling as typos or mistakes. Then came others re-organizing the information I and someone else had hunted down.
A tv show is small potatoes compared to what else Wikipedia does and what I found out goes on with clashing philosophies or political points of view from climate change, to whether or not certain governors of certain tropical states have behaved continuously in a racist manner or have somehow earned themselves an out. But if something as small as a tv show had to be bullied about and contested and information re-arranged and sentences cut and the u's cut out because American spelling must dominate - how much more frustrating is it when it's experts in their fields being hand spanked and scolded by non-experts because there's a Wikipedia way and everything else. (And some of what I've found in my surfing has mentioned that Wikipedia cultivates an anti-elitism atmosphere with a distinct anti-respect towards experts.)
I still remember going to stare at my article, so happy I could contribute something about a tv show I'd loved and discovering that someone had marked it for deletion because I'd included either a screen shot or some official art I'd found. Apparently a screen shot isn't fair use, or something, if the fair use information is not laid out in a particular way or something else. It's all a blur of - but did they have to mark the WHOLE thing for deletion?
That dimmed the joy of one of the producers of the show finding the article and contacting me to correct info. That dimmed the joy of finding another fan interested in maintaining the page. The knowledge that someone could decide what I'd hunted down and spent hours researching and confirming could be deleted just like that. Yes, I'd saved the file, but still.
I did my best to sort it all out, but when it was over, it took about a year for me to look at the page again, and then I discovered even more sentence changes and rephrasing and words completely removed; my vocabulary erased. Looking at the site right now, I recognize nothing but some of the information. There's been things introduced that leave me shaking my head, especially considering how often I got smacked for not showing secondary sources.
That's how often a small potatoes page on Wikipedia gets edited.
That's how often even on a small potatoes page, editor favouritism happens.
I think I would have been better off putting up a fan page. And maybe if the initial wrestling on Wikipedia hadn't worn me out, I might have done. Maybe I still might, sometime in the future, when my show is no longer associated for me, with twitching disappointment.
That said, I'm thinking I might try Thesaurus.com for it bit. Or Britannia. And TV Tropes for my media needs.
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Do. Not. Read. Boy's Love Fandom Thoughts On Rape In BL & Yaoi.
Just don't.
*shudders*
It's like a convention of Polanski fans.
( Memorable WTF Statements )
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| 2009-10-28 09:44 |
| Because There's A Poor Tax |
| Public |
| note to self |
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Should still be sleeping, but my mother called over an email I exhaustedly typed to her last night about Bank of America Shenanigans. While talking to her I found my own notes and realized the reason I didn't go through with switching banks is because the plumber invasion happened and I'd been unable to think beyond the basics.
I'm not gonna rush around like crazy right now though because I'm exhausted and in pain and liable to make a mistake
But so far MECU looks viable - though it won't enable me to have a second account primarily for online transactions.
ETA: I appreciate that my mom -made- herself get off the phone, because she realized all she'd be doing is cussing about the state of things and I didn't need the stress. Unfortunately I still feel stressed that stuff happened because I wasn't in a place to stay on top of things. And now I can't go back to sleep because my stomach's in a knot.
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Remember Xena?
No seriously, remember Xena? Remember when you knew the names of all the episodes? When you first learned about Subtext and FanFic? Remember WOOSH? Remember when you wondered what a Xena Con / Convention might be liked? And wondered how people found out about it and got to go there? And what it might be like to meet the actors under those circumstances? Remember hearing stuff/reading stuff about how Kevin Smith was such naughty delicious fun?
Remember following up and agreeing with posted articles about THE RIFT? Remember BITTER SUITE and how much you loved it and analyzed it? Remember conversations about realistic depictions of the ancient world and Xena / HTLJ depictions? Remember 'When Hellmouths Collide'? Remember THE KISS and all the debating you got into with all the lesbians you knew about if it was Auctolycus or Xena?
Remember needing tape every episode to rematch later that week?
Remember hearing how a fanfic writer had become a script writer and wondering how that even happened? And still thinking it was kind of cool?
Remember soulmates and angels and visions and rending apart the tapestry of all life because the world was wrong with Xena for Gabrielle and vice versa? Remember baby Eve and co-mothering? Remember Ares just being sexy and intriguing as Heck and Hell and Hallelujah?
Remember how awed you felt that people came together to watch a show that was so corny and so beautiful at the same time?
I think you should.
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If the protein powder is a good help for my protein needs, then there's the possibility I could do grassfed meat, if I only eat meat occasionally. I would like to try the soy citrus spare ribs - but I'm also wary of utilizing processed soy as a protein substitute.
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Taurine.
Not just for cats.
Neurotransmitter, serotonin booster, central nervous system.
Look into this.
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