Wikipedia talk:United States Education Program/Courses/Writing as Communication (Zachary McDowell)

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Welcome to the talk page[edit]

This is a place where you can ask questions, talk about problems, and discuss the Wikipedia assignment with classmates and other Wikipedians.--Debaser42 (talk) 00:25, 18 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

  • Can't wait to get this thing started and I just want to express how glad I am that I'm not in one of those traditional writing classes. This is one of the most useful projects I've encountered thus far. I'm amped! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Odolgopo (talk • contribs) 04:04, 17 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Project Proposals[edit]

If anyone wants to talk about project proposals (what to do, bounce ideas around, etcetera) - do it here! Debaser42 (talk) 11:35, 11 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I am confused as to where the citation tool box is from wikipedia where I can plug in everything and it will properly cite for me. Odolgopo (talk) 15:27, 22 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bouncing ideas[edit]

As an online ambassador for this course, I am eagerly available to assist in areas related to Wikipedia. I know Cindamuse is just as willing. Consider an old military adage I adopted long ago: there is no stupid question except the one that was never asked! It has served me well for many years. Don't let a question you have, go unasked. And I'll do my best to see no asked question goes unanswered. Does that sound fair enough? My76Strat (talk) 01:56, 15 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

An abundance of sand[edit]

I placed atop each student participant's user page, an ambassador template with quick links to your course page and mentor. Everyone should use the red link to your sandbox and create your own, if you haven't already. This will also assist in many abilities, and we have an abundance of sand :)--My76Strat (talk) 04:26, 17 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Another thought[edit]

It is great that many students express a desire to write on topics they are personally interested, or exploring as a potential career field. My only caution is to ensure you understand WP:COI, and WP:NPOV. While it is almost intuitive that you should write on topics on interest, you must apply extra diligence to ensure you don't favorably bias a subject, because of that enthusiasm. In terms of objective writing, it can be harder being neutral, when you personally hold the subject dear. An encyclopedic tone is expected for all prose, and it is a beneficial requirement in objective writing.--My76Strat (talk) 04:54, 17 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I completely agree. I am continually reminding the students that they should always keep a neutral point of view while writing their articles and I hope we can catch any strays. I don't believe being passionate about a subject is necessarily a conflict of interest, as these are students who are intrigued by subject matter and should not be campaigning. A summarization of an argument put forth by reputable, valid, and verifiable sources can still be neutral, objective, and encyclopedic. I agree that it is hard to write neutrally when you care for a subject, but it is also even harder than that to write at all when you just don't care at all. My hope is that we (both the OAs, CAs, myself, and the students) will continue to help each other out to maintain neutrality. Debaser42 (talk) 15:11, 17 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I have no doubt that everything will be fine. It was mostly a thought of caution, as I truly have a sense of the excitement from these students. And you are right, passion is not to be dispelled. And WP:COI is much stronger than anything I remotely anticipate. Thanks for helping to clarify some of that.--My76Strat (talk) 17:57, 17 September 2011 (UTC)[reply]
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