I like this thread but have hesitated contributing to it because I'm a little worried that you'll all laugh at me... ;)
Actually, that's a little true. These days, I've been working on [[The Wiggles]]. You may be asking, if you've even heard of them, "What in the world does a children's music group made up of four male Aussies have to do with the gender gap?" Well, I think a lot. This article, I believe, represents a major gap on English Wikipedia: children's music and television programming, which has become one of my "niches" on WP. (I also edit [[Sesame Street]], [[Blue's Clues]], and its ancillaries). I also have a soft spot for this article, and not just because The Wiggles have had a huge influence on my household. The article happens to be my very first featured article, passed back in 2008.
Well written articles about children-based topics like this one aren't well-represented on en.WP, probably because the people who are interested in them don't tend to be serious editors. Their audience (preschoolers), obviously don't have the skills, and their parents (half of which are women, of course) are too busy. I'm a different case because although my children are older (9 and 12), they're severely developmentally disabled and still interested in The Wiggles and related topics. They're in school and we get lots of good services for them, so I have more time on my hands than parents of young children. Plus, I have an obsessive personality, so when I get involved in volunteer organizations, I tend to be compulsive about it. I also love writing. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to know that topics like this that aren't well represented have been improved mostly due to my efforts. (I also edit [[Maya Angelou]] articles.)
One of the problems with The Wiggles is that although it's been a FA for many years, it lacked comprehensiveness, most likely because the information simply wasn't available. There has been a lot written about them, especially in the Australian press, but most of it has been promotional or fluff. (I suspect that reporters have used their WP article.) There was almost nothing about The Wiggles brand and business practices, for example. This has changed in the last six months, with some changes to the group's line-up (which includes the addition of a woman as their lead singer). Also, the founder of the group Anthony Field, published his autobiography. I'm currently in the process of adding that content to their article, including possibly adding a "Brand" section and restructuring the article.
It's very fun and the group deserves it.
Christine
Username: Figureskatingfan
On Thu, May 31, 2012 at 6:16 PM, Sarah Stierch
<sarah.stierch@gmail.com> wrote:
I thought it'd be refreshing to have a positive thread and something
less-...porny, if you will :)
What have you been working on? In any language, on any
sister project of Wikimedia? Online and offline? What are you
doing to be proactive or contributing as a volunteer, fellow,
staff member, etc? Don't be shy, share your work! Be bold and be
proud!