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I'm currently on an extended Wikibreak thanks to school and my other hobbies.  I may edit a few pages here or there, but I'll be quite a bit less active than I used to be.

== My Philosophy as a Wikipedian ==

These are a few notes that I believe are important as a Wikipedian, if I may quickly get on the soapbox:

* Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers whose work has provided the world with the largest encyclopedia on Earth.

* If someone is able to tell if I'm conservative or liberal, I'm doing something wrong.

* I am one person with a limited depth of knowledge, working with hundreds of thousands of others who know much more than I ever can know.  Therefore, I'll listen to everyone with an honestly open ear, regardless if I think they are right or not.

* Wikipedia, like any information source, cannot be a perfect source of information.  Instead, it is something much more than that - thousands of people telling stories about the universe around them - regardless if those people have been recognized as [[Wikipedia:Adminstrators|role models]], [[Wikipedia:Dealing with vandalism|vandals]], or [[Wikipedia:Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense|intoxicated]].

* Hate doesn't belong here.  Information does.

* Words have different meanings to different people, making [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|NPOV]] a near-impossible task that needs patience and understanding.  Those unwilling to have patience have unfortunately silenced themselves.

* Making an encyclopedia democratically isn't the best way, but it's the best way we've got.

* There are two cures for ignorance: People and time.  <!-- Not the magazines -->

* There may be great answers, but there will always be greater questions.

== Tips for those new to Wikipedia ==

* If you are new to Wikipedia, I recommend [[Wikipedia:Introduction]].

* If some of your work ends up on [[WP:AfD|AfD]], you will get mad and upset that your hard work is being seen as worthless.  (No one is happy to see their work seen as worthless.)  If you still want to contribute to Wikipedia, then please don't call everyone elitists or part of a cabal.  Keep that to yourself, as that will only make people hate you (I'm being frank here).  If you don't care about Wikipedia, I'd go out with a bang, since it feels good to yell at people you don't know, and the worst thing they can do is block you.

* When in doubt, be nice and treat people with respect.

* Need a laugh?  [[WP:)]] and [http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Uncyclopedia] are good places to go.

* Remember that 1) you're not getting paid for this, 2) you are probably not going to get thanked for your work, 3) your work will be edited without mercy, and 4) your work is going to be shared and distributed for free, without your permission or any thanks at all.

* When it doubt, go ahead and edit the page.  (Unless you're planning on vandalizing it, in which maybe not...)

[[Category:Wikipedians in the United States|JJLeahy]]