Do you edit Wikipedia much?
 

I created an account on Wikipedia for the sole purpose of making the following edit. Can you spot the difference?

Yes. The comma after "consensus" in the first line of the example.

They are fortunate to have you contributing to the cause.

The sentence doesn't make any sense without that comma!

Actually, it changes the meaning to something that doesn't make any sense within the paragraph.

How about a semi-colon?

Of course, I did seriously consider using a semi-colon; but I opted not to go hog wild on my first-ever Wikipedia edit.

If you want to change it to a semi-colon, I promise not to start an editing war with you.

You're a funny man, Flint.

Is there a delay on the edit, or does it change straight away? I've never edited a wikipedia page.

I've written a page for my university wiki (Leeds Wiki). Was quite interesting having to present information in that format. You have to organise your thoughts differently.

https://wiki.leeds.ac.uk/index.php/H...torical_debate

You can also put the comma after the word "up".

Flint, why won't you do anything the way I would do it? :)

Aw, heck. You know what they say about funny guys...
that they're just masking the bone-crushing angst that they struggle with for every agonizing second of their tortuous, self doubt-riddled existence*.

Ah... yes Dana, the edit took place immediately, however this may be because I specified that it was a "minor" edit.



*they say the same thing about guys who create an account on Wikipedia to add a single comma

Edit this Flint! lol

You know what they say about funny guys... that they're just masking the bone-crushing angst that they struggle with for every agonizing second of their tortuous, self doubt-riddled existence.

I've edited about 10 pages. Changes always show up immediately.

Well, sure. That's because you're Undertoad.

Shouldn't it be called Wikipedit instead of Wikipedia? :) I've never edited anything there, but I'm happy to say I know someone who does.

What happens if you edit and it's all just a bunch of BS you made up? Does someone get to gong you or something?

The whole world is watching, and it gets corrected almost immediately:

Ahem... a semicolon would be incorrect in that usage. Both halves would need to be a complete sentence, and you can't begin a sentence with "Only to..." unless you made that whole clause the subject of an additional verb. Just for the record.

What's this? I rescind my earlier statement about the editing war.

LOL! That is totally true. ahem.........

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handou...commacomp.html

I did have a labotomy since my editing days........I think they are over! lol!

Wiki seems to have some "moderators" who overlord err oversee some of that. There is another thread somewhere where a persons political affiliation kept getting deleted/added/deleted....

Someone needs to have better control of some of the more controversial stuff. If it is known to be factual, as in the case with UT indication that a certain political person was an elected democrat, then it should be left alone and not deleted. A real problem with Wiki as a source for subjects which are known to be controversial. I am more comfortable using it for less controversial subjects.

Good place to get a bunch of links though.

Shouldn't the word thus be off set with two common, since it is a conjunctive adverb?

I tried to edit the other day but my IP is banned. I can't be bothered to get myself unbanned from "collateral damage" so the world will never know what I had to say ...

I've done a little bit of editing. Fleshed out an article about Raytown once, added some info on one of the Rainmakers, also added some info about the brother of Max Weinberg 7 member Mark Pender, and I've done some little bits of adding literacy here and there.

One time I was studying for a final exam, and checked the Wikipedia article for the Aral Sea to make sure that I had gotten the right ideas out of the material.

I saw a [citation needed] marker, and realized that I had just seen that quote in one of my readings, so I found it and added the citation.

I think it's still the contribution that I'm most proud of.