And it is called Wikipedia. Not just reading it, using it, etc. – though I’m more fully aware now of just how freakin’ helpful it is. No, I mean EDITING it. Nothing on the Internet has ever been so gratifying to my relentless OCD-style editor’s mind! See, I’m a natural editor, and I constantly spot things that are mistaken or stylistically clumsy (in my oh so humble opinion) that I wish I could change – on restaurant menus, street signs, newspapers, websites, novels, magazines, billboards, etc. etc. etc. But you don’t just get a free license to go around fixing typos in life, you just have to suck it up and be annoyed and settle for the satisfaction that you spotted said error.
But on Wikipedia, you actually get to *fix the problem*! It is SO gratifying! I’ve had to pore over pages and pages of wikis over the past few days, but I only recently realized one could edit their text – and being able to actually get in and fix the little things I spot makes it SO much more fun to read. And it keeps me on my toes, keeps my attention, makes sure I actually absorb more of the content. I realize I’m the biggest nerd in the world, but in the past I’ve had weird Internet pastimes like compulsively reading all the Best-Of Craigslist posts, or exhaustively reading every issue of a given webcomic or advice column or whatnot… and I have a new Internet addiction/affliction. It’s editing wikis.