I can truly say I had never had an experience like this before now. When I first saw this assignment, I was immediately overwhelmed. Wikipedia is a space that offers information on countless topics, and I was wondering if I even had anything worth contributing to the space. I originally thought about utilizing a book, specifically Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck, but the more I sat with that idea, it didn’t spark much of a long-term interest. The prompt specifically stated that the best route would be to track down a topic of significant interest to you, or to utilize a topic that you were already knowledgeable about. I decided to focus on my hometown and find something of substance to add to its page. The first thing I noticed as I scrolled through the different subsections was that almost all of the information listed had been posted before 2020. In fact, there were maybe one or two areas where information was added in the year 2020. This showed me that Wikipedia pages are often abandoned once individuals feel like they’ve added enough information. The basics such as demographics, education, and history were very thorough, but there were no accurate updates to reflect what the town is like now. I feel as though those who originally contributed to the page could periodically decide to revisit the content and add or remove elements where necessary. That way there is a consistent effort put forth to keep information as accurate as possible, and limit the presence of outdated aspects and stagnation.
Since I only saw one mention of the most prominent hospital in the town, I chose to add an edit that related to it. The Community Healthcare System consists of facilities that are “nationally recognized” for their level of care and range of services. Because I am a caregiver, physician offices and the hospital environment are normal spaces for me. I thought about what I could specifically add to this page in order to enhance its quality. I decided to mention that in February of 2024 the Powers Health (formerly Community Healthcare System) opened a brand new immediate care facility in Munster. Not only is it for immediate care, but it is also a place where physician offices and imaging technology reside. I went ahead and proposed an update on the “Talk” tab, but even after posting, I did not see any comments on my proposal. While on this page, I spent more time than I realized looking through the various edits, questions, and so on that people suggested. Some edits were as simple as removing an unnecessary word from a sentence, and others sparked different debates relating to whether or not the information was useful for the article. After leaving a topic comment, I waited a bit before I actually wrote out the entire edit and made it public. I placed my new information in the “Businesses and Attractions” portion of the article, and made sure to cite my resource before finalizing the edit.
Going through this process was fun in my opinion. I’m glad that I let down my guard and trusted that I could add something of value to such an immense space of information and perspective. I really didn’t have much exposure to Wikipedia before now, but now that I’ve been immersed into this special world, I can see myself continuing to search through various topics, see the contributions others have made, and consider making my own edits as well. I had always known Wikipedia to be a space that you avoid almost entirely. Because of the collaborative editing and things of that nature, this site was never considered credible. Now that I have experienced Wikipedia for myself, my perspective has changed. Of course there are limits to its use, but I no longer feel like I have to completely isolate myself from its content and purpose.
Original article – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munster,_Indiana#
Businesses and Attractions Section – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munster,_Indiana#Businesses_and_attractions
Screenshot of other contributions under the “Talk” tab
3rianna’s Way 
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