I first began visiting Wikipedia in late 2002. Then, it was nearly two years old, but still quite a bit different than it appears today, as indeed, the entire internet is. I continued visiting, reading, but did no edits until mid 2005, and did not create an account until late summer of that year. Since then, while making small edits for obvious mistakes here initially, I watched. I read, and learned policies, and noticed they grew by the month. I occasionally took time away from reading about the workings of Wikipedia, for real life obligations, but continued to use it as a source of information.
As I tend to "lurk" until I feel I know enough to post something meaningful, or assist in some useful way, my first genuine foray into editing wasn't until nearly two years later, when I felt I had a good grasp of most of the basic policies. Since then, I've been active in Recent Change patrol, Articles for Creation, Articles for Deletion, WikiProject Space missions, and a wide variety of other areas. I frequently spend time doing random page edits, either placing needed tags, or cleaning up articles, adding infoboxes, fixing references, etc. I really feel that properly cited references are the backbone of a really great article, and to that end, I use the citation templates to fix the "simple URL" references in many articles. I have created a couple of articles, nothing spectacular, but I don't necessarily believe that creating a major (Good/FA) article is the only sign of a good editor.
I would classify myself more of a WikiFairy than a major contributor, but I am proud of the articles that I've done significant work on. I enjoy helping others, even if it is just a simple thing, and there is really nothing that can bring a smile faster than a simple "Thank you" from another editor. I do not have a specific "Wiki Philosophy". I think that some articles are definitely needed, but others are simply unnecessary and really don't belong. However, I realize that my opinions won't always line up with popular opinion, and that is fine with me, because really, community drives this project, and I feel we must in part, listen to the community when dealing with additions and deletions. No one person is more important than another; if a certain article isn't something I'd think belongs, and others do, that's fine with me.
I have a lot of time on my hands, so I hope that in the future, while I may not be memorable, I'll at least be remembered as having helped in small ways, to what I envision as a repository of knowledge for the future.
I have accounts here, on English Wikipedia, Simple English, and on Commons, but also on a variety of other sister sites. Please see my matrix for more.
Arielâ„GoldVisit me on English Wikipedia
