One of Wikimedia CH’s goals is to motivate younger authors to contribute to Wikipedia. That’s why we spoke to Noam Schank, a 19-year-old Wikipedian (User:FWS AM) who has just graduated from high school. The German-language article Federalism in Switzerland Föderalismus in der Schweiz, which Noam contributed to, was recognised as excellent, and the article on international treaties in Switzerland Völkerrechtliche Verträge in der Schweiz, which he played a key role in shaping, as worth reading. In this interview, he gives us an insight into his experiences.
Hi Noam, how or why did you start working on Wikimedia projects?
My work in Wikimedia is limited to the encyclopedia (Wikipedia); I rarely get involved with the other projects (Wikidata, Commons, etc.). Like so many people, I came to Wikipedia by chance when I saw a punctuation error and discovered that I could correct it. That was in July 2021, and I quickly found the subject area to which I have devoted hours of my free time ever since: Swiss politics and, in particular, Swiss constitutional law.
There are many reasons for my ongoing commitment. The main reason is simply the pleasure of familiarizing myself in depth with a subject about which, in principle, I have little prior knowledge, and to make complex material as understandable as possible for others.
What were the challenges and difficulties?
My experience with Wikipedia has been pretty good from the start. I didn’t have any problems at first either. For me, who started at the age of 16, discussing with people who are often four times my age, whose knowledge far exceeds mine and who, what’s more, are more eloquent, has been a challenge in the best sense of the word. In Wikipedia, there is a page for each article – the “disk” in Wiki jargon – where improvements to the article are discussed. If I wanted to present and implement my concerns and suggestions on the “disk”, I had to gather all my arguments beforehand. In retrospect, this disciplined my thinking. Another challenge is the responsibility you have as an author. I have been writing articles on current referendums since the beginning, and the articles are accessed and read hundreds of times, especially on voting Sunday. This spurs me on to write articles that are as impeccable as possible.
Finally, an increasing “scientification” of Wikipedia can be observed. Ever higher formal and content requirements are being placed on the articles. It is no longer possible – as it was 15-20 years ago when Wikipedia was still in its infancy – to write a Wikipedia article “just like that”. It has become much more difficult to receive an award for an article.
How did you overcome these difficulties?
As I said, I haven’t had any major difficulties so far. But there were a few things that helped me with my first steps in the “Wikiverse”. I was very lucky to find an excellent, patient mentor (see below) who I could turn to with questions. Another user was always on hand to help me with any questions about the content. Indeed, when I started writing articles on constitutional law, I had virtually no specialist knowledge; I had to source the literature and immerse myself in it. This user supported me by correcting my articles and improving expression and style. But it also took a bit of luck. There are less than a handful of people working in my field. So I had my peace and quiet and was able to make my mistakes without being immediately attacked, as is unfortunately too often the case on Wikipedia.
Where can I find help on Wikipedia?
With me. If anyone reading this article would like to join one of the wiki projects, please feel free to contact me with any questions (schank.noam@gmail.com). Wikipedia also has a mentoring program where you can register as a newcomer. You will then be assigned an experienced Wikipedian.
What tips would you give new Wikipedians, what should newbies in particular bear in mind?
Patience and a thick skin. All beginnings are difficult. Wikipedia now contains a complex set of rules, and the contributors (“Wikipedians”) speak their own language, which is full of acronyms (abbreviations) and neologisms (newly created words). It takes time – months! -until you find your way around. Don’t start by writing your own articles, but improve articles that interest you or are close to your heart (about your home village/city, sports club, etc.). In addition, the tone in Wikipedia is sometimes harsh, and it may be that the first contact is a curmudgeon who has no understanding for the fact that you have not yet internalized all the Wiki rules and codexes. You shouldn’t let this put you off: Most of them – I can say this with conviction – are not like that; otherwise I would have left long ago.
What do you like about editing in Wikimedia? What makes this hobby interesting compared to the many other leisure activities available to young people today?
Wikipedia gives me the opportunity to live out my nerdy interests and my love for the German language. Writing gives you much deeper access to the subject matter than mere superficial reading. Over the years, I’ve also met many very interesting people from whom I’ve learned a lot and made fruitful contacts that I wouldn’t want to miss.
These were very exciting insights that will hopefully motivate some young people to contribute to Wikipedia. Thank you again for your answers and hope you continue to enjoy editing.
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The interview was conducted by Liam Allard (16) on behalf of Wikimedia CH.
