Seven Day Log

DAY 1: 

I created a Wikipedia account and began exploring various Talk Pages and View History Pages. One thing that caught my attention on the Taylor Swift Talk Page was a debate about wording. For example, there was a discussion about whether the term “public” should be included before “data” because that is how it was worded based on reliable sources, as opposed to how it’s phrased, “flight data.” This debate can explain why there are numerous edits for a published page. It also shows why it might be challenging to publish a page or keep it published, as Wikipedia is stringent about wording and its content.

DAY 2:

I began the Wikipedia Adventure, but I found it quite confusing. I struggled to click on the buttons and move to the next step. Each time I finished a mission or step, there was a button for me to click, but it didn’t seem to make any changes on my screen. I wasn’t sure if it was an issue with my laptop or if I was doing something wrong. When I tried redoing it, I found myself repeating the same step over and over because it just wouldn’t let me click the next button.

DAY 3:

I tried the Wikipedia Adventure again today. I still struggled with the adventure, but after I logged out and signed back in, I figured out that it was easier to move from mission to mission by just clicking on the exit button and then selecting the next mission. In the end, I was able to complete all missions and I learned more about how I can edit pages and leave comments on changes made.

DAY 4: 

I visited two Wikipedia pages, one for Lawrence Krauss and the other for Katherine Freese. Both are scientists known for their work on Dark Energy, born around the same time, and share a similar nationality. The difference between their pages is that Freese’s, a female scientist, is considerably shorter compared to Krauss’s, a male scientist. Furthermore, the references section on Krauss’s page appears to be almost as long as the essay itself, whereas, on Freese’s page, it is shorter. It is surprising to see that Krauss’s page has 82 references, while Freese’s only has 16.

DAY 5:

My partner and I started browsing through the Women in Red list on Wikipedia. Initially, it was difficult to choose a specific category from the various options like country, occupation, time, picture, and name. Without any particular preferences, slowly as we looked through different categories, my partner and I decided to choose someone from the Accomplishes category and then narrowed it down to someone whom we could find basic information on Google. 

DAY 6:

After selecting a few Women on the Red list, we did a bit of research on Google and decided on Janet Perna. Janet Perna worked in IBM’s Sofware Group as the General Manager of Information Management. She was ranked the highest for IBM’s female software executive. 

DAY 7:

I did further research on Google about Janet Perna. I was able to find quite a few websites relating to Perna’s accomplishments and job positions. However,  there wasn’t much information available about her childhood life. One thing that I learned is that after retiring from IBM, she became a member of the Foundation Board of Directors at the State University of New York at Oneonta. In addition, she is the Founder of the Perna-Rose Foundation for Hope. After researching on Google, my next step is to do more research on her childhood by exploring through Baruch Library databases.