How could I tell people about wikipedia without sounding like a nerd? I'm trying to replace people's Warcraft addictions with Wikipeida (after all, which one is worse?) but everyone says, "That's so stupid! How are you addicted to an encyclopedia? You're a nerd!". What do I do? Is it wrong to try to get someone addicted to something?
Well, the question is, could they be useful contributors? I believe some of them probably could, but you would have to know what their fields of expertise are. If they care a lot about gaming, print out some of our computer game related articles (we have quite a few) and tell them if they would like to add something to that, they can do so easily.
But with anything you do, you will have to search out one-on-one conversations. Trying to convince a group where peer pressure, alpha male behavior etc. are involved is much harder than convincing a single individual.
I think you will also have to learn to accept the fact that many of your peers have been dulled by television, games and parental neglect and will not be open towards intellectual pursuits. They have been trained for instant gratification, and school is a perfect institution to dissuade people from learning. That is not to say that you should not socialize with these kids -- by all means do, but don't expect everyone to become a Wikipedia editor.
Regards,
Erik