Hi, I've been a Wikipedian since 2003. I also contribute to a number of other Wikimedia projects including Meta, Wikibooks, and Wiktionary. I believe free (libre) information is our most important goal so I contribute whatever I can to make the end result better. I don't have the time to contribute to Wikipedia that I would like to and that some others do, but I expect to be a long term contributor.
When I first started using Wikipedia, it still wasn't clear it was going to work. Now that we have millions of articles it is clear content will be added, but we still face a reliability problem. The only solution is doing solid research among reliable sources and citing them to fulfill the core verifiability policy. Through the efforts of a large number of Wikipedians we are finally turning the tide to where more and better research is being done and more editors realize how important that is. In the long run I believe the only way we can move to the next level of information quality is to have some type of stable version or stable branch system which can eliminate the vandalism problem and put forth more polished articles. A number of tools such as a system of verified citations for key or eventually all facts are in proposal or development stages and will allow further ratcheting up our information quality to a level at or above other reference works.
I've discovered one of my best talents related to Wikipedia is reviewing articles to determine what they need to be among our best. I get a lot of requests to do that, and if someone is willing to do the work to implement suggestions, I'll provide extensive reviews. More research to better sources will always be my suggestion unless it has already been done well because that solves most other problems or makes them very easy to solve. I've also put together some advice on creating featured articles that has been improved by others. I have a degree in economics and the mathematics of finance, but I am often described by those that know me as having an insatiable curiosity so I tend to be very eclectic in my interests, and I edit in a pretty wide range at times. See my bias disclosure if you're interested or think it will help.
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