Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Cornell University/Online Communities (Fall 2013)/French toast

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Final Project Report:

Question 1. The Wikipedia page we edited was French toast, which proved to be more difficult than we had imagined. A main source of frustration was the lack of credible sources. There is a plethora of information about French toast, but the vast majority of which is coming from individuals on blogs. Upon our first iteration of edits, we were happy to find out that many members of the Wikipedia community reached out to us, but this came at a price. Our initial contributions to the French Toast page were actually removed, resulting in nothing new on the French Toast page. However, this caused a spur of conversation on the talk page. Experienced editors pointed us in the right direction of sources, what to include, and what to omit. We decided to include a table of nutritional information. As other Wikipedians suggested, we took this information from a credible source, the USDA, and cited exactly the details of how they defined French Toast, and the nutritional aspects of that. Including a table of nutritional information from a credible source adds to the French Toast page that which we believe makes other pages higher ranking. That is, in examining the contents of the ingredients of French Toast it can be examined in somewhat of a scientific lens rather than just as a meal. Our group decided that formatting the nutritional information in a table would best. We talked about how nutritional information is commonly presented, and in looking at almost any canned product, it is almost always presented as a table. Using this as inspiration, we chose to tabularize the nutritional information for easy reading.

In addition to the nutritional information, we included more in depth information on the history of French Toast in significant places. For example, we did not just haphazardly write about French Toast in countries that came to mind, but explored the origins of French Toast, and wrote about its evolution and significance in its countries of origin. To make the page more visually appealing, we included relevant pictures of French Toast that were actually given to us by other members of the Wikipedia Community. When on the talk page we mentioned how we wanted to make the page more visually dynamic, other members gave us insights as to what direction we should take.

We believe that this article has done more than just expand in content, but has grown in quality, and therefore ready to move above its current level as a C class. One Wikipedian gave us what the page use to look like years ago, which we were surprised to find out was very long with a lot of information. Almost all of this information was removed because of a lack of quality. In conversing with the experienced Wikipedians, we have concluded that from the new history additions, the nutrition, and other additions such as expanding on its social significance, the page has grown in quality. In addition, the formatting of the page is simple, professional, and most of all, factual. We only included images and tables that would add to the understanding of French Toast and only during relevant topics of text. Overall, the page has greatly improved and ready to be upgraded.

Question 2. Throughout the process of editing our Wikipedia page, we discovered the challenges of finding relevant and accurate information that would augment the already existing material. We began by inspecting the history page to view the evolution of the page. Something that stood out was the large amount of information that had been deleted. Being inexperienced with Wikipedia, we were curious as to why everything was gone. To us, everything that was deleted looked like legitimate information, so we decided it was crucial we reach out to Wikipedians first so we don’t make the same mistake as those before us. From here, we asked why the material was removed, and what sort of actions we should take to get started on the project. Quickly a helpful Wikipedian, Jeremy, responded informing us that the old version didn’t contain reliable sources, and the tone of the writing did not appear to be neutral. We were also given an example Wikipedia page that would be a solid reference point for guidance. This was incredibly helpful, as we were able to utilize this resource when confused about structure, or what material we should incorporate. Since we have been working on the page, it has evolved into a better-structured article, as well as one that provides deeper information. We were told by one Wikipedian that our information was simply re-worded, however, we believe we added substantial material. The original article only had mention of Hong Kong in the variation section, and we incorporated variations from around the world as a source of comparison. Most of our additions allow the reader to compare the origins of French toast in various locations. We also noticed there was no information regarding the nutritional facts of traditional French toast, which we thought was important to highlight, especially since nutrition is a growing concern in our society. Also, many other Wikipedia articles on food products and dishes contained the nutritional facts. We realize there is an array of variations that alter the nutrition of the dish, but this information gives the reader a base line as to how nutritious the meal is. There is still more information that needs to be added to this particular page, however, the depth we added in the sections provides a richer history, and variety of preparations.

Question 3. We began our journey as newbies in this online community confused as to where to begin, but the experience between newcomers and existing members was a positive one. With their guidance, we started by editing and removing material that was irrelevant, or not completely explained. When we made mistakes and had items deleted, those we were in contact with were respectful, telling us what we could do to fix the issues. The first Wikipedian to contact us through the talk page was Jeremy, who directed us towards a starting point. The second most helpful, yet intimidating, Wikipedian we encountered was Macrakis. This user was respectful of our newcomer status, realizing we were hazy on some of the rules and regulations of editing, however, he told us straight up the aspects of our article that needed lots of editing. It was unlike any community any of us have ever experienced, as we are used to communities like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. The closest experience would be a group project where we collaborate only online over Google Docs, and people are continuously adding and deleting information. The interaction on Google Docs is through the chat feature, which is somewhat similar to the talk page, in that you can tell another user what you added/deleted and why. It felt like a community through the guidance we received from users we looked up to, similar to a classroom setting, but without the face-to-face interaction. It was very motivating to hear that experienced Wikipedians were excited and willing to aid us in editing the page. The fact that we were legitimately intimidated by someone we have never met, simply through one interaction, is sign of a successful community in our eyes, as it mimics real life.

Question 4. We began the project with an initial meeting where we looked at the French toast Wikipedia page and discussed how we would like to approach the work. During that meeting, we spent time looking for sources together. Then, we divided up the content related editing tasks in the group in correspondence with the various sections on the French toast Wikipedia page. Shannon’s central focus was on the introduction of French toast, the history and etymology, pictures and the brief introduction box at the top of the page. Lauren focused on preparation, variations and social influences. Royce’s focused on the nutritional table and the pain perdu section. It proved rather difficult to find relevant content given how limited scholarly information on French toast is aside from basic cookbooks. We felt as though dividing up the content in this way would give each of us a chance to experience what it is like to be an editor on Wikipedia and learn how to properly edit. In terms of the technicals aspects of Wikipedia, Royce was a huge help. Royce, being an Information Science major, had a good understanding of how to edit and do various tasks. This proved extremely helpful given that Lauren and Shannon were both Communication majors and unfamiliar with many of the technical aspect. We were both able to learn from Royce and as a result became much more comfortable with Wikipedia and the more technical aspects. In terms of communication, we all equally participated in various talk pages ranging from our personal talk pages to the food and drink talk page to the French toast talk page. All three of us asked questions and interacted with other Wikipedia users which enabled us to apply what we were learning in class to Wikipedia. After having learned about the difference between new Wikipedia users and expert Wikipedia users and learning about the norms, it was rewarding for all three of us to see what we were learning about first hand.