Greetings, I'm Stuart Geiger, an assistant professor of Communication and Data Science at the University of California, San Diego. My work focuses on the role of technology in how we produce knowledge, and so I'm obviously very interested in Wikipedia! I've published pretty extensively on various aspects of social dynamics in Wikipedia, as well as work on collaboration in scientific research.
Wikipedia[edit]
I have been an editor on the English Wikipedia since 2004, although I don't contribute as much as I should. I was active in Simple English for a while, but now I am back to English. I usually do minor work with fixing errors, adding references, and the like, though I have been doing work with bots and AfDs.
One of the main things I do these days is create articles whenever I hear people -- usually non-Wikipedians -- complain that there isn't a Wikipedia article about something. These articles are often very basic and sometimes get deleted, and if they survive rarely get out of stub/start status. But I like doing it. I also do work with breaking news articles, as I'm good at finding references and know my way around the ref tags and cite templates.
I also send people a lot of Wikilove and give barnstars for good work.
My Studies[edit]
My scholarly interests are somewhere around the intersection of Critical theory, Computer-mediated communication (CMC), Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), Cyberinfrastructure, and Science and Technology Studies - which is a blend of Philosophy, Sociology, and Anthropology that studies Science and Technology. Specifically, I've always been focused on the social and technical dynamics in communities of knowledge production, especially those that are Internet-based or Internet-mediated.
Research on Wikipedia[edit]
I have been researching Wikipedia for my recently-completed thesis, and I am also a member of a research team studying the Long Term Ecological Research Network. However, this does not mean that I cannot also be an editor to the project. I've actually been a volunteer contributor since 2004 - before I really started thinking of myself as an academic, that is, before I really started researching and writing papers like I meant 'em. I feel that I can separate my roles as an academic researcher and as a Wikipedian editor. If you wish to view my academic research (and/or discuss it with me), drop me an e-mail - I check that far too often for my own good.
Much of my work combines interviews, statistical analysis, and ethnography, which comes out of observations I make in situations where I am participating in a process I am studying. Part of my research for my dissertation was ethnographic, based on my interactions in Wikipedia. I have learned much from my participation in the community, as it helped me do better research across many methods. I created a research protocol (more like a pledge) that I worked out with some people on the Wikiresearch-l mailing list. In my view, this went above and beyond requirements that U.S. scholars have to perform research in an ethical manner. I'm now an ethnographer embedded in a different community of knowledge production, although I continue to participate in and publish about Wikipedia. If you have any questions or do not feel comfortable, please feel free to ask via talk page or e-mail.
Website[edit]
I have a website that contains, random musings my academic papers -- both of which are available free of charge.
Accounts[edit]
This account, User:Staeiou is an account I use as a volunteer editor, and edit from this account most often. User:StuGeiger, is an account I use for research purposes. User:Staeiou (WMF) is my staff account from when I was an intern for the Wikimedia Foundation in 2011, which I no longer use to edit.
