Week 1 - Edits I Made to Wikipedia This Week -- GUAN YUE

 

Summary and Link

This week, I edited my Wikipedia user page: User:Uuueol. Although I have taken courses about Wikipedia before, I had never tried editing my user page. This time, the professor encouraged us to improve our user pages, making them more interesting and visually appealing, and even offered extra credit for it.

The main purpose of my edits was to complete my personal information and make my user page more aligned with Wikipedia’s guidelines. I added details about my interests and adjusted the page layout to make it clearer and more readable. I also learned about Wikipedia’s rules for user pages, such as what kind of content is appropriate and what might violate Wikipedia’s policies. Additionally, I explored how to use Wiki markup to improve formatting and page design.

During the editing process, I encountered a small challenge: I wanted to keep some content at the bottom of my page, but every time I edited, it automatically moved up. After trying several methods and making multiple adjustments, I finally found a solution to keep the content at the bottom.

New, Interesting, or Unusual Items Learned

While editing, I realized that Wikipedia user pages have fewer restrictions compared to Wikipedia articles, allowing users to freely add personal content. However, user pages still have rules. For example, they cannot be used for advertising, promotion, or storing non-encyclopedic content. Wikipedia also discourages posting personal opinions or controversial statements on user pages.

Additionally, in the User Page Hall of Fame shared by the professor, I noticed that many experienced Wikipedia editors include various userboxes on their pages, showing their interests, projects they contribute to, and more. These elements not only display their contributions but also help build a sense of community. I also explored Wikipedia’s userboxes and added some to my page.

Through this editing experience, I gained a deeper understanding of Wikipedia’s community culture. I also noticed that some user pages feature awards given by other users, but I’m still unsure how these awards are given. I hope to explore this further in the future.

One Question, Concern, or Discussion Angle

When can user page edits be restricted? I read that if a user page contains too much content unrelated to Wikipedia contributions, administrators may delete it. But what kind of content is considered inappropriate?

Comments

  1. Jeong seolahMarch 16, 2025 at 6:09 AM

    User pages should only include information related to Wikipedia contributions. For example, it is appropriate to explain the user's activities, contributions, or how they use Wikipedia. However, personal daily life, advertisements, commercial content, and political or religious opinions are considered inappropriate. Additionally, excessive self-promotion or content that criticizes others goes against Wikipedia's neutrality principles and should be avoided.
    Furthermore, content that insults or attacks other users, or content intended to harass, violates Wikipedia's guidelines. Finally, sharing personal information such as contact details or addresses is prohibited as it violates Wikipedia's privacy policies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CUIZANMarch 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM

    Honestly, I think it’s totally okay for user pages to show a bit of personality—since we’re all real people behind the edits. But I get that if someone uses it more like a personal blog, diary, or to promote stuff that has nothing to do with Wikipedia, it might cross the line. In that case, it makes sense for admins to step in and set some limits, just to keep things on track！

    ReplyDelete

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