Draeco is taking a short wikibreak and will be back on Wikipedia when his medical residency is over in 2013, perhaps. |
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My name is Jacob Radford; draeco is my earliest childhood internet alias. I was born in 1983 in rural Kentucky, USA. My academic credentials include bachelor's degrees in Spanish and biology from the University of Kentucky, a master's in diplomacy from the Patterson School of Diplomacy, and an M.D. from the UK College of Medicine. I am a board certified emergency medicine physician in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm also a fine woodworker, breakdancer, audiophile, linguist, traveler, and father.
My very first edit was by IP in Wisteria on 15 June 2005.[1] I registered forthwith and have made about 5,000 English Wikipedia edits since then,[2][3] mostly in the areas of medicine, biology, history, and breakdance.[4] My desk has some of the highlights. I am no longer active. Most of my edits were during college and med school around the 2005-2009 timeframe. My social interaction on Wikipedia was scant, but included welcoming, adopting, Wikiproject Medicine, and the Signpost. I have never used alternate accounts, nor have I been blocked, banned, or reprimanded in any way.
First and foremost, I am a rabid inclusionist who believes any article about a real subject should be included (a dying breed[5]). Notability has crept out of control and should be abolished before it damages the project any more; see my rants. I mostly stopped editing because of time constraints, but notability was a major frustration.
We are indeed losing steam because the Wikipedia community is becoming less open and friendly (partly due to notability), especially to newcomers.[6] This will drive away editors, and may already be doing so.[7][8] Editors generally should reveal their identities, because secrecy permits duplicity.[9][10][11] We should have a small static ad below the left sidebar for sustainability, though I'd welcome a feasible alternative. Concise, thorough, understandable introductory sections are key. Down with "See also" links, up with article writing that indicates what you really should see also.