User:Michael Garcia (IDH1001)/sandbox

Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?

i believe that it doesn't matter who writes Wikipedia. As long as all the information is in the user's own words, he adds citations, give credit when credit is due and all the information is non-biased, i think he has all the "writes" to edit write on Wikipedia.

What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?

To be unbiased is to not have any personal goals when adding information, you can't state that one thing is better than the other, you can't write with stuff already in mind to bring something down. For example, if you are editing an article on the highly argued subject of abortion, you can't state "abortion is bad because Christianity says it's bad." You would have to change that to an unbiased view, "some religious beliefs such as Christianity and Catholicism don't agree with the views on abortion and those who are in favor of it due to their belief that it is considered murder of a human being." This is literally just stating a fact in an unbiased way, at least I think it is, but then again, this is me writing this answer, so anything i say can have a little bias whether i want it or not. This definition of unbiased from Wikipedia is very similar, if not identical to my own definition of unbiased. Biasedin my opnion is any statement that has someone's own goals or opinions slightly in it. For example, "chocolate is better than vanilla." That statement is totally biased and has no basis for argument. However once you add third party statistics and references, then you have information and would possibly no longer be considered biased.

Adding Citations on Wikipedia (self homework training) : (I'll be doing a cite on scooter/skateboard laws in FIU)

Scooters, Skateboards and similar non-electric modes of transportation must only be used on sidewalks and with caution in regards to other users and pedestrians.

Week 4(WIP)

1. Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?

Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information because they have biases to them. The media tends to twist information so that their view point is portrayed. For example, if a person accidentally touches a feminist, the media will most likely portray the incident as "man rapes feminist" where in reality, the man just touched the feminist by accident. Blog are written by people with their own agendas. Like if someone is describing a person in a blog, they will definitely have their own opinion. Wikipedia is supposed to be non-biased. Michael Garcia (IDH1001) (talk) 16:47, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

2. What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?

companies tend to portray themselves as higher than their competition. For example, a new phone is coming out by asus and they (asus company) wrote a review on it. Apparently, the phone is the best in the world. I have yet to try it out so right now I can only taking their word for it. Unless millions of people collectively give proper stats on the phone, it would not be a reliable source. Last, companies sometimes hide things from the public eye so they look good. This is very bad for people because they would then be reviewing a companies that isn't transparent. Michael Garcia (IDH1001) (talk) 16:47, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

3. What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?

Copyright is when you use someone's work without their permission and plagiarism is writing or copying someone's work and stating it as your own. Copyright in my opinion is a far less crime than plagiarism. All you need to do is ask if you can use someone's work in a video/article like in youtube and you are set. However plagiarism has numerous consequences.

4. What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?

To avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism, it is best to know the material. You must be able to answer any question as if you wrote it yourself. For example, if there is an article on a camera that has a bunch of information that may seem daunting, someone that understands it would in a sense be able to re-write it without any similarities, but getting the point across. You must be able to repeat an article without sounding the same as it. The only way to to this, is by understanding the material. Michael Garcia (IDH1001) (talk) 16:47, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

Choosing an Article

Article: Georges Danton
Why: I choose this topic because i saw information that could be added for certain topics and i also saw some information that has not been referenced. I have found research on the article. For example i contributed information on where i got information on the family of Danton. There was information that was added but did not have any references to them.
Activity Log: The activity log for the topic has been very slow. The last edit/comment was in February of 2016.
I am still researching on the article so i will be adding more information on him. One example is his relation to Robspierre. Last i see quotes that need citations so i will be looking for them aswell.

Notes on What i can add/change in my chosen Article =

In the beginning of the article George Danton i saw there were similarities to another article in a different website. I'll be reviewing the articles and checking sources and adding my own. Also i plan to contribute an article about the relationship between Danton and Robespierre.

Week 6

1. What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"? i think wikipedia's definition of neutrality is very neutral.

2. What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information? The impacts of wikipedia as a source of information is great for general information. However, the limit is that due to the information having to be rewritten, the original meaning of the text is lost.

3. On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create? Sources that are excluded are sources that have a source of bias. They include but are not limited to, blogs and books written by authors that have a bias. Most websites ending in .com aren't reliable sources either.

4. If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now? If wikipedia was written 100 years ago it's content would be more dated and have more information due to history being lost after so many years when it comes to paper and pen. Also the people writing it would be different. I believe 100 years from now, Wikipedia will have more information on different topics.

Draft / Ideas to Add

(this would probably be added to an Article called Danton's Education) here are a few references i found for information on Danton's Childhood and education which wasn't really covered in George Danton. it just stated "after having a good education". I'd like to expand on that.

Danton's Growng Up This talks about how he more or less grew up and where and by whom.

Danton's Schooling and Education This gives some information on where Danton studied.

Childhood

Danton was considered a very mischievous boy. Due to this he went to different schools. Also he had a very high natural IQ. As a result he was easily bored and disinterested in his classes. His first teacher was his grandfather and he was able to pass his classes with little effort. When he was 9, he was sent to a boy's school. This is where Danton learned Latin. He was later sent to a school in Troyes for a year due to his mother thinking that he hasn't given up his mischievous ways as a child. Later, he attended a boarding house taught by Oratoriens until he was 17. Here, he learned more Latin and about the Bible, mainly the Acts of the Apostles and about Christian beliefs. He didn't really take to them however.

More Information

• As early as age 12, he had already acquired the skills to become a leader. He led fellow classmates to either rebel or riot. This showed his leadership skills and how much his classmates already respected him at such a young age.
• He also consistently questioned authority, which will be seen later during the French revolution when he openly disrespected and called out Lafayette as a traitor during a meeting.
• At a young age, he had amazing writing and speech skills, as later during a competition, he took home all the prizes for French discourse, Latin narration and poetry.
• Was highly influenced by philosophical thinkers of the time, such as Montesquieu.
• Studied at Reim University where he became a lawyer. Later become bored of the career and became an orator.
• Was seen as a "man of the people" by then because he always pleaded for the poor and never for the rich.
• Both his classmates, teachers and grandfather revered him as a prodigy.
• His amazing writing and speaking skills later made people give him the nickname “The Thunderer”.