# Do You Edit on Wikipedia? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 13, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431 "2019-02-13T00:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/1 "2019-02-13T00:20:29Z")
I know many academics hate it (and I understand why) but I like it… But, it’s only good if people participate with honesty. A few years ago, some computer genius found out that a vast majority of edits are made by Big Corporations. They know how important information is. If you do see a mistake (factual or actual), do you correct it? I do, but usually wait until I find good sources. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/2 "2019-02-13T01:05:31Z")
Very occasionally, but mostly minor punctuation errors or clarity issues. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/3 "2019-02-13T01:19:41Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > … A few years ago, some computer genius found out that a vast majority of edits are made by Big Corporations. They know how important information is. Just curious if you have a cite for this? It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest but I’d like to know how well supported the claim actually is. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/4 "2019-02-13T01:23:43Z")
I tried to do it once, stepped on the toes of a hyper-possessive page “editor”, and decided fuck it, not worth my time. I was updating the track listing of an early 80s album, adding in 2 bonus tracks that appeared only on the cassette version, not on the vinyl. My additions were almost immediately reversed. Put it in again, and it was reversed with a “needs citation”. My cite was I had the cassette in my hand, so I scanned the cassette insert and uploaded it to the talk page, and made the edit a third and final time. It was still backed out with a complaint about formatting. At that point I walked away. About a month later I saw the original page “owner”, who had been reversing my changes, had added the same information with no cites. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/5 "2019-02-13T01:34:29Z")
I remove apostrophes from plurals, and things like that. Never changed any actual content. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/6 "2019-02-13T01:37:29Z")
Occasionally I change something that looks blatantly wrong, but I just gave up my regular editing projects because there are too many a–hole rule enforcers out there who wreck your stuff. For example, there are articles for each of the local commuter train stations near my city. One of the features was each article had a list of connecting bus lines. The lists had fallen out of date, so I went on a big project correcting them. The lists of bus lines were inserted using a macro. (I did not write the macro, it was there before me.) Then one day I looked and saw that all of the articles had become jumbled and unreadable. I tried to figure out why. Well, I found a year-long debate about the macro. Some idiot who contributed nothing to the articles ever had noticed the macro and decided it violated a rule. After a year of tedious argument, a group of editors agreed to change the macro. It totally broke all of the train station articles. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. No, I didn’t want to get involved in a year-long debate or take a graduate course in the epistemology of wiki standards. I just gave up. I never look at those articles again. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/7 "2019-02-13T02:20:29Z")
Not anymore. Even if you have multiple citations for your addition, it’ll get deleted. So I quit bothering. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/8 "2019-02-13T03:15:21Z")
I’ve only done so once, on an article on a rather obscure vehicle model. ::goes and looks:: It hasn’t been messed with, and that edit was done in March of 2017. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/9 "2019-02-13T03:51:26Z")
Not as much as I used to. It gets frustrating when you correct something that seems harmless, that you know is accurate, or is largely superficial, but it gets changed back by some weirdo with a petty agenda anyway. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/10 "2019-02-13T05:03:05Z")
I used to spend a lot more time editing wikipedia articles. I don’t have much time for it these days. I wrote these articles, which have remained mostly intact: > **[Bailey machine gun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_machine_gun)** > > The Bailey Machine Gun was a rapid-fire weapon developed in the late 19th century. It was a multiple barrel weapon similar to the much more commonly known Gatling gun, and was the first weapon of this type to be belt-fed. Although commonly referred to as the Bailey Machine Gun, it is technically not a machine gun since it is externally powered using a hand crank. However, rapid-fire weapons of this type are commonly referred to as machine guns, even though this usage of the term is technically in... > **[Agar gun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agar_gun)** > > The Agar gun (or Ager) was an early rapid fire machine gun developed during the US Civil War. The weapon was nicknamed the Coffee Mill Gun, and was also called the Union Repeating Gun. > During the Civil War, inventors were encouraged to create new and better weapons. The Agar machine gun was one of about fifty or so hand-cranked machine guns developed for the war during this period. It was named after its inventor, Wilson Agar (sometimes spelled Wilson Ager). The gun was nicknamed the "Coffee Mi... > **[Confederate revolving cannon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Revolving_Cannon)** > > The Confederate revolving cannon was a weapon developed and used during the U.S. Civil War. The weapon had a design similar to that of a revolver pistol, scaled up to the size of a cannon. > Henry Clay Pate was a former attorney who, during the U.S. Civil War, organized a mounted company that was called Pate's Rangers or the Petersburg Rangers. The innovative Pate designed the revolving cannon, which he had cast at the Petersburg foundry in Petersburg, Va. This cannon was then made available to ... > **[Marin le Bourgeoys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marin_le_Bourgeoys)** > > Marin le Bourgeoys (c. 1550–1634) was a French artist and inventor, known for inventing a flintlock mechanism that was used in firearms for over two centuries. > Marin le Bourgeoys was born into a noted artisan family in Lisieux, in Normandy, France. He was probably initially trained as a painter. He later attained fame not only as an artist, but as a gunsmith, inventor, and luthier. In 1598, his talents attracted King Henry IV, and he was appointed Valet de Chambre in the Royal Court. In 1608, he... > **[Joslyn rifle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joslyn_rifle)** > > The term Joslyn Rifle refers to a series of rifles produced in the mid-19th century. The term is often used to refer specifically to the Joslyn Model 1861/1862, which was the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle produced at the Springfield Armory. > Benjamin Franklin Joslyn was known as one of the most interesting gun designers during the U.S. Civil War, but he was known more for his constant clashes with sub-contractors and the Federal Government than he was for the quality of his arms. His d... > **[Springfield Model 1869](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Model_1869)** > > The Springfield Model 1869 was one of several model "trapdoor Springfields", which used the trapdoor breechblock design developed by Erskine S. Allin. > Originally, the trapdoor Springfields were created to convert Model 1863 Springfield rifled muskets to breech-loading rifles at a relatively low cost. > The Model 1869 Cadet Rifle was a shortened version of the Springfield Model 1868. It had a 29.5 inch barrel, compared to the 32.5 inch barrel of the Model 1868, and had an overall length of 48.8 in... > **[Springfield model 1871](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_model_1871)** > > The Springfield model 1871 rolling-block U.S. Army rifle was manufactured in 1871–72 by Springfield Armory, using the design originated by Remington Arms Company, under a royalty agreement. > During the U.S. Civil War, Joseph Rider experimented with several breech loading weapon designs. In 1865, he was issued the first patent for what would evolve into the Remington rolling block action. The Remingtons continued to invest in Rider's work, and met with Ordnance Department officials in the hope of ... > **[Springfield Model 1875](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Model_1875)** > > The Springfield Model 1875 was a variant of the Springfield Model 1873 rifle. > The Model 1875 officer's rifle was checkered fore and aft of the trapdoor breech and tipped with white metal. It was fitted with a "globe and pinhead" foresight and a "buckhorn" backsight on the barrel. > It also featured a well-made peep sight fitted on the small of the stock, which was graduated for ranges from 50 to 1,100 yards (46–1,006 m). The rifle had a trigger which could be set to use as a hair trigger. A wood... > **[Springfield Model 1877](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Model_1877)** > > The Springfield Model 1877 was a variant of the Springfield Model 1873 carbine. > In 1877, many changes were made to both the Model 1873 rifle and the Model 1873 carbine (the carbine was just a shorter version of the rifle). Historically, the Model 1877 rifle has just been considered to be a variant of the Model 1873, while the Model 1877 carbine has been considered to be a separate model. > The most visible change was made to the stock. The buttstock comb was extended further forward on the wrist ... > **[Springfield model 1880](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_model_1880)** > > The Springfield Model 1880 was a trapdoor rifle based on the design of the Springfield Model 1873. > In the years following the U.S. Civil War, Springfield Armory had produced bayonets by re-working older bayonets left over from the war. By 1880, their supply of bayonets had been almost completely exhausted. Rather than re-tool their production equipment to make an item that was now considered obsolete, Springfield Armory chose instead to modify the Model 1873 to use a new bayonet system. > In the ... > **[Springfield Model 1882](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Model_1882)** > > The Springfield Model 1882 Short Rifle was a trapdoor rifle based on the design of the Springfield Model 1873. It is usually referred to as a "short rifle" but is sometimes called a "carbine". > The Model 1882 was an experiment by Springfield Armory. Its main goal was to combine the carbine and rifle into a single arm which they called the "short rifle" (a concept which the U.S. Army would not accept until the adoption of the M1903 Springfield). It was hoped that this one single arm could then sup... > **[Springfield model 1884](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_model_1884)** > > The Springfield model 1884 was one of the "Trapdoor Springfield" rifles. It was an improved replacement for the previous longarm of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Springfield model 1873. > The model 1884 traces its roots back to the design of the Springfield 1873. The model 1884 incorporated a significant number of improvements that had been made between 1878 and 1879. It also featured a serrated trigger that had been incorporated into the Springfield rifle design in 1883. > The most dramatic change to... I occasionally edit technical articles, but finding errors or omissions in those is much rarer for me. I did make some pretty heavy edits to this one, and it has remained mostly intact since then: > **[Ufer ground](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ufer_ground)** > > The Ufer ground is an electrical earth grounding method developed during World War II. It uses a concrete-encased electrode to improve grounding in dry areas. The technique is used in construction of concrete foundations. > During World War II, the U.S. Army required a grounding system for bomb storage vaults near Tucson and Flagstaff, Arizona. Conventional grounding systems did not work well in this location since the desert terrain had no water table and very little rainfall. The extremely dry ... I also wrote these articles, which have been heavily edited since (and I’m happy with that, they are good edits): > **[Rat-race coupler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat-race_coupler)** > > A rat-race coupler, also known as a hybrid ring coupler, is a type of coupler used in RF and microwave systems. In its simplest form, it is a 3 dB coupler and is thus an alternative to a magic tee. Compared to the magic tee, it has the advantage of being easy to realize in planar technologies such as microstrip and stripline, although waveguide rat races are also practical. Unlike magic tees, a rat-race needs no matching structure to achieve correct operation. > The rat-race coupler has four ports... > **[Magic tee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_tee)** > > A magic tee (or magic T or hybrid tee) is a hybrid or 3 dB coupler used in microwave systems. It is an alternative to the rat-race coupler. In contrast to the rat-race, the three-dimensional structure of the magic tee makes it less readily constructed in planar technologies such as microstrip or stripline. > The magic comes from the way it prevents signals from propagating between certain ports under specific conditions. This allows it to be used as a duplexer; for instance, it can be used to isol... On a completely unrelated subject, I also wrote an article about Tomahawk Rights, which ended up getting folded into the article about Cabin Rights. I’ve also made close to a thousand edits on other articles. Many of them are minor edits, but quite a few were fairly substantial, especially articles about older firearms. In the past few years though, I have only made a handful of edits. I don’t make grammar or spelling changes. You probably wouldn’t want me to anyway. I’m an engineer, and engineers are notorious for bad grammar and spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/11 "2019-02-13T05:05:56Z")
Occasionally, but like the others, my interest has been sapped by asshats with much more time on their hands than knowledge of the subject. Topper for me was having an article reverted to flat-out wrongness because my citation of the actual court decision was considered “original research,” and thus not an allowed source. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/12 "2019-02-13T05:34:45Z")
Mostly do basic fixes - spelling/grammar fixes, vandalism fixes, removing redlinks, or links that redirect back to the same article, or moving links to the intended article rather than a similarly named one, or changing things from ‘upcoming’ after they’ve actually come out, that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/13 "2019-02-13T05:47:35Z")
My magnum opus of contributing to world knowledge, this sentence in the description of the cartoon character Vitalstatistix, about the real life origin of his “we have nothing to fear but the sky falling on our heads” catchline: > **[List of Asterix characters | Vitalstatistix](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Asterix_characters#Vitalstatistix)** > > Chief Vitalstatistix is the chief of the Gaulish village. He is a middle-aged, bigbellied man with red hair, pigtails and a huge moustache. He is generally reasonable, well-informed, fearless, (comparatively) even-tempered and unambitious — the last much to the chagrin of his wife Impedimenta. His major failings are his love of good food and drink (it is unlikely to be a coincidence that his wife is the best cook in the village) — which has led to health problems — and his pride. As a Gaulish chi... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/14 "2019-02-13T05:53:59Z")
When I have spare time, yes, I edit on wikipedia a lot. I’ve never had the experience of constant reverts to my edits that others are commenting on. I think it depends a lot on the topics that you’re editing. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/15 "2019-02-13T05:54:48Z")
I used to be a regular on Wikipedia, until the politics wore me down. I rarely go there any more. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/16 "2019-02-13T06:22:12Z")
I’ve made a bunch of minor edits (broken links and such) here and there. The only significant contribution I’ve made is that I greatly expanded the article for Dr. Joseph D. Bryant ([Joseph D. Bryant - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_D._Bryant)). On most days I read the news from 100 years ago today, and when I saw his obituary a few years ago I was disappointed to find that his Wikipedia entry was just a single sentence and I thought he deserved better. The revised article even appeared in the “Did you know…” box on the main page at the time. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/17 "2019-02-13T06:39:02Z")
A few times, though not often. The one that I remember was discovering that some yahoo had edited the entry for [Steve Watson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Watson_(wide_receiver)) (wide receiver for the Denver Broncos in the 1980s) to indicate that he was a video-game artist. I just looked at the edit history for that article – good lord, that was 2007. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/18 "2019-02-13T07:34:44Z")
I did once for the ad&d pc stronghold game …I just added some stuff like …it did appear on cdroms and expanded what it was about it was a cross between sim city and majesty ……. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/19 "2019-02-13T08:19:09Z")
I think I had made three changes (adding a little information, adding cites) and two were reverted quickly before I said “Fuck it”. I think my third one is still alive though since 2008 (?) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431/20 "2019-02-13T08:41:09Z")
Like the others: did some editing, got reverted too many times, got sick of the whole thing. I still try to fix up grammar and references occasionally, but I avoid subjects I know and understand. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-edit-on-wikipedia/829431.md?page=2)