30 for 30 (Divided by Ten)
In Slovenian, the traditional name for the month of May translates to “the month when plants grow”, or so Wikipedia tells me. It's apt then—if not altogether insufferable as a metaphor—that this month three "seedlings" I recently planted have all blossomed.
First up is something I am almost embarrassingly prideful about: that I will go down in history as the person who created the Horse ebooks Wikipedia article. (The what, you ask? Read the article!)
Considering the meteoric rise to Internet fame of the Horse ebooks Twitter account—without a doubt, the most followed and most beloved Twitter spam account of all time—it's rather surprising that when I first looked in late April, no such article existed. So, I wrote it. The article debuted on May 5, and graced Wikipedia's front page with its presence—in the "Did you know" section—on May 12.
Read the Wikipedia article, follow the Twitter account, and then buy the T-shirt (note: I have no deal with the sellers, except that I did buy the shirt). And then take sides in the debate over whether the magic is gone since its automation became a subject of disagreement.
Another fun project that has taken off this month is The Best of Wikipedia:Sandbox, a Tumblr account.
There are many Tumblrs like it, but this one is mine. In fact, there are other Tumblrs about Wikipedia, including Best of Wikipedia, [Citation Needed], and—if you know Tumblr, you know this is coming—Fuck Yeah Wikipedia!
Ostensibly Wikipedia:Sandbox is a place to test edits and check formatting, but that's not all it gets used for. What started out as a joke among my colleagues—sharing screen caps of the ridiculous things we'd seen in the Sandbox—has transformed into a Tumblr to share these largely unknown and unappreciated comic gems with the world. The Sandbox is an unlikely repository for strange world views, faceplam-worthy test edits, and—since this is the Internet—cat pictures.
I've saved the biggest announcement for last... this month I launched what is essentially my second Wikipedia-related website: Beutler Wiki Relations. Yes, it's a business website.
Although I rarely write about my consultancy much here, close readers of The Wikipedian are likely aware that one of my professional focuses (focii?) is helping brands, companies and individuals work constructively with the Wikipedia community to improve articles. I've never sought to draw attention to this—and indeed, when I appeared on C-SPAN this January, the subject only came up briefly. But I feel like it's worth posting a simple website explaining myself to skeptical Wikipedians and, sure, potential clients alike. Closer readers may recall the phrase "wiki relations" from my post about the Bell Pottinger mess, and how it could have been avoided.
Although "conflict of interest" and "paid advocacy" on Wikipedia remain contentious topics, I think it's more important than ever to make them seem less mysterious. It won't stop the Bell Pottingers, but it may stop people from hiring them to mess with Wikipedia.
And yes, I realize I have a conflict of interest in saying that. Can't avoid it; might as well own it. Or as Horse ebooks says: "Discover the usefulness of wax."