I'm of the opinion that Wikipedia is exactly as it is described - an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. I am also of the opinion that if I see any edits that I think should be made, they will be made. Articles are not meant to be built up and kept as a perpetual unchanging entity after all. One thing I can't stand is vandalism. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia, and vandalism is simply unconstructive. If I see any vandalism, I will revert it straight away (kudos to everyone in the Counter-Vandalism Unit).
I generally use WP:OR, WP:V, WP:RS, WP:N, and WP:NOT as a rationale for the edits I make. I try to stick to Wikipedia's core policies and guidelines, and this unfortunately can often lead to disputes with other editors who disagree with me, either because they have a different interpretation or just for the sake of it. This means that I do occasionally violate WP:3RR, but most of the time this is as a result of vandalism, or people not bothering to read the policies I'm trying to show them. I do not turn prior disagreements into grudges though; Wikipedia needs collaboration and discussion to work properly, and there will always be disagreements. People just have to be sensible about them and realize that what they want isn't always best (it's something I'm continually teaching myself too). I do wish people would take their problems to the article talk pages when it is suggested instead of edit-warring though. Edit summaries are no way to have a proper and open discussion.
What happens when the crap isn't kept in check.
I used to watch the Recent changes - as I've said I really dislike vandalism, and I feel that helping to protect pages, even those that aren't among my favourites to read, can only help Wikipedia. I have slacked off from this as of late though, and at the moment I only really revert vandalism made to pages on my watchlist. I don't use any of the newfangled tools like "Twinkle" or "Huggle" on my reversions; call me old-fashioned, but I prefer to revert vandalism the old way. It barely takes 30 seconds and it's not as if I'm ever going to beat ClueBot anyway, so what's the point? I'm perfectly happy with my method, and it only takes a little longer than all that automated stuff.
I'm always happy to help out new users when I can, whether its with the format used on Wikipedia or a more complex issue. I'm generally a friendly person, so if you have any questions or comments for me please don't hesitate to give me a shout. I try to make my talk page as concise as possible by transferring comments I make on other users talk pages to my own, and vice versa. I also (generally) prefer comments on my talk page to not be edited or taken out; I feel that it is important for the original context of the comments to be present in some shape or form, and abusive comments do not usually bother me (although I'll normally remove random nonsense). I go into more detail on this on my actual talk page.
I'm pretty busy with work during the week and on weekends so my time on here is becoming a bit more limited (though not as limited as it should be)!
“
A singing bird in an open cage Will only fly for freedom
Rather than adding content to articles, I tend to spend a lot of my time simply upkeeping those that I have a particular interest in and are on my watchlist. This can range from little things like removing vandalism and adding citation tags to trying to settle editing disputes and finding sources for uncited information. I used to add content to articles a lot more, but I tend to find that nowadays I involve myself more on the discussion aspect of it; I've been involved in several (sometimes nasty) edit wars in the past, and so on the articles I watch I try to prevent those from occurring by encouraging all sides to talk about it, sometimes opening discussions when I haven't even been involved in the dispute. Despite this, I seem to find myself involved in new drama on an almost daily basis with people who have no interest in proper and open communication. I guess it's unavoidable what with the kind of edits I do.
There are some articles that I have worked on substantially, however. I am particularly proud of my work on these pages, whether it's because I created them, rewrote them, added images to them, or just spent the time to remove a ton of vandalism from them. One of the articles I'm most pleased with is No Line on the Horizon, which I co-wrote substantially and managed to get to Featured Article status on the third attempt.[1] Another one is U2 which, though I haven't added much to recently, I endeavour to keep free from constant bouts of vandalism. Others include ExploreMusic, "Unknown Caller", "Breathe", "Stand Up Comedy", and "White as Snow". Most U2-related articles are on my watchlist, as are most Pokémon articles (which are in unfortunate need of constant attention). I tend to keep a close eye on many of the articles that I have created for the same reasons; Chi (Chobits), "White as Snow", and List of covers of U2 songs among them. "City of Blinding Lights" is an effort I'm particularly proud of; although I didn't create it, I completely rewrote it and brought the article up to a standard that I think a great song such as that truly deserves: Featured article![2]
I'll often take a fancy for reading up on a random subject and search for what I think that article may be called. More often than not I'm wrong and have to find it in another manner. But when this happens, I almost always turn my original search into a redirect; thus Melon (U2 album) now redirects to Melon: Remixes for Propaganda, U2 3 Nights Live redirects to No Line on the Horizon#Promotion, and so on. I haven't counted, but I reckon I've made about 80 different redirects by doing this.
I won't bother listing every page I've started; you can find that out here. If you click the little icons at the top-right of this page you can see the pages that I have worked on most thoroughly in my time on here. To date I have edited over 1500 unique articles,[3] and my most productive month was November 2009, when I made over 1200 edits.[4]
Before 2008 I mainly just middles around without much serious content-building work. Since then I have done a lot more actual editing. These are the articles I have worked heavily on and plan to work on in the near future, and the progress they have reached thus far:
Well I'm sure you'll find out a lot about me just by taking a cursory look at my userboxes. Want to know more? I'm a university student in Canada who is studying to be involved in politics. I have an interest in many subjects; though why random facts stick in my head when the notes I should be memorizing do not is a mystery to me! I work for the U2 concert archive U2Gigs.com, which is a lot of fun when U2 are on the road! I really enjoy travelling and experiencing new places; so far I've been to nine different countries (for varying lengths of time). They are: Canada, England, Scotland, The United States, The Netherlands, Greece, France, Belgium, and Wales. Countries on my "to visit" list include Italy, Australia, Tasmania, and other areas of Greece. I'd also like to go to Antarctica one day, though that's just a pipe dream.
One thing you should also know is that I'm not afraid to enjoy the same things that I did when I was younger; my rationale is that if something gave you enjoyment as a child, why should you give it up? And I bet many of you still enjoy the same things too, even if you don't admit it. Come on, who doesn't love Thunderbirds or Sooty?
I like to think of myself as a friendly guy, so if you have any questions then please don't hesitate to ask; I won't bite you (unless you really annoy me!). If you need help with finding something or understanding a policy, I'm only too glad to help you out. We were all new users once, and I had to figure everything out on my own. I'm up for any discussion really (so long as it's appropriate), whether related to Wikipedia or just a general brief conversation. I may not respond to messages on my talk page right away, though there's a good chance I'm online. If I haven't responded after a while and you have a really pressing issue, I can be contacted by email if it's absolutely necessary.
“
Don't want to change the frame Don't want to be a pain Don't wanna stay the same
The below are quotes by others that have brought a smile to my face at time when I did not believe such a thing could happen. Thanks for the chuckles, and for reminding me that even a bad mood can be broken. If ever you have come across something you found to be delightfully funny, I welcome you to post it here so that we may all continue to enjoy it in the times to come.
There's no race, only the prize There is no tomorrow, only tonight
”
— U2, "Stateless"
Appreciation
I am fortunate enough to have been awarded the following Barnstars and Crowns; thanks go out to every person who has given me one. It shows that I must be doing something right on here, and each one means a lot to me. Thank you.
Barnstars
The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
For helping me out against such rude behavior, I award this Barnstar to Matkin 'buku! Sukecchi (talk) 01:18, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
The Barnstar of Diligence
I award you this Barnstar for your tireless efforts maintaining and verifying so many U2 articles – particularly all those songs. It’s not gone unnoticed and it makes a huge difference – I don’t have to bother opening to check when I see your name against those articles in my watch list. "Noice" --Merbabu (talk) 05:00, 11 February 2008 (UTC)
The Real-world perspective Barnstar
Great Job on getting real world info on pokemon, and helping me along to understand what you are doing is correct ÞέŗṃέłḥìμŝLifeDeath 18:03, 29 April 2009 (UTC)
The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Thank you for your fast help. Buzzzsherman (talk) 03:29, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
The Music Barnstar
for his dedication to improving all U2 related articles and in particular his article Slug. ΤΕΡΡΑΣΙΔΙΩΣ(Ταλκ) 00:05, 7 September 2010 (UTC)
The Barnstar of Diligence
For your hard work in general and especially on U2, one of my favorite bands. John (talk) 09:41, 25 September 2011 (UTC)
I really had to give you this barnstar Melicans, cause you are so special and helped me a lot with "Rehab" from the first until the third nomination. I really appreciate that. T H A N K S. (: — Tomica1111 • Question Existing? 21:42, 15 December 2011 (UTC)
Other
Your majesty, it gives me great pleasure to bestow the Triple Crown upon Melicans for your contributions in the areas of WP:DYK, WP:GA, and WP:FC. Cirt (talk) 12:06, 24 April 2009 (UTC)
“
Whatever the deal, she won't let me down Wherever I go, she's always hangin' round
”
— U2, Lady With the Spinning Head
Gallery
Images I took that are on Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, or other language Wikipedia's. Not all of them are currently used, but they can still be found on Commons.
9 April 2009
6 September 2009
Not done
Done
The Saint Julien Memorial in 2007.
The grounds at Vimy Ridge, 90 years after the battle.
A lucky screenshot I nabbed and added to the leet article (since removed).
A modification I made to a free-use image specifically for a political userbox (it's tongue in cheek).
U2-Blackberry cars on display in Toronto.
The video screen on the U2 360° Tour descends during a performance of "The Unforgettable Fire" in Toronto.
"Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" in Toronto, with Bono's red laser suit.
A frontal view taken seconds later of the same performance.
Bono plays guitar during "One".
Adam Clayton playing in Toronto.
The Edge playing "Magnificent" in Toronto.
Bono and The Edge playing "Beautiful Day" in Toronto.
