Horn+of+Africa+Discussion+Section

This page on the Horn of Africa began with its first revision on August 15, 2005 to its most recent on September 27, 2010. It has fewer than 500 revisions, however, the discussion concerning the revision has to be one of the most comical exchange between individuals -- more on that later. The first revision contained an update on the map of the Horn of Africa, along with about four questions concerning its validity from the contributor. The most recent revision was a small edit to undo a mistake within the text. From 2005 to 2007, the revisions were made every couple months, with no revisions the entire year of 2008. In 2009, a surge of revisions began in April through July of 2009 with revisions at least once a week from April to July. After revisions dwindled down between July 2009 and March 2010, few revisions were made again occasionally in March 2010, and its most recent revisions in September 2010. Within this discussion page for the Horn of Africa Wikipedia page, it includes the following data:
 * 1. Account for postings (number of revisions, time range from first to last, notation of periods of activity)**
 * 62 watchers (eventually contributors)
 * This wikipedia page has been viewed 23 times in October of 2010, so far.

The revisions began with the map of the Horn of Africa, with many questions from its contributor. The revisions of this page developed more about the cultures and ethnicities within the Horn of Africa, with contributors questioning and debating the validity of sources. There was also much questioning and encouragement for more refined researched concerning the validity of the information and the actual geographic aspects of the Horn of Africa. In the posts of 2009, more contributors edited the language and content for validity and concise language, as well as maintaining critical references through debate on particular topics. The most recent updates maintained politically correct statements and edited specific details concerning the geographic and mapping aspects of the Horn of Africa.
 * 2. Describe progress or development in article from original post to most recent update**

The information is quality work (thanks to those who edited the anything-but-precise and inappropriate language that was once on the page) using precise language and a concise and cohesive knowledge base. The information is factual and writing is knowledgable, as well as grammatically correct. The article does leave much for the reader or researcher, including current events, recent history, impact on the world, world's impact on the Horn of Africa, trade/commerce, and economic systems. If being used for research, this article would definitely have to be supplemented with more reliable sources, as well as more depth in its content.
 * 3. Critique the quality of the article in its current state (writing quality and factual information)**

This dicussion is full of debate concerning defining the area of the Horn of Africa, as well as the language used to represent the references. There is a lot of dispute on the sources, as well as the language used to portray the sources. Also, there is a good bit of discussion on using the correct and effective language to discuss sensitive issues such as race, ethnicities, and bringing respect/appreciation of various cultures.
 * 4. Describe the discussion around the article**

The variety of contributors to this site are approximately ten individuals, with about 4 very active individuals over the year. One contributor, //Middayexpress//, last edited on June 13, 2009, and on his own Wiki page states his name "is a conflation of one of my favorite movies, Midnight Express, and the time of day of my first post". His own Wiki page was last edited in August 6, 2010. Middayexpress is one of the main contributors who participated in lively debate! His total revisions on this particular page are 26 from April 2009 to June 2009.
 * 5. Provide background information on the most active contributors**

//Ackees// is another contributor who kept the peace in the debates and, at times, acted as an administrator. His Wiki page shows lots of interests, as well as him being a member of Wiki Project Visual Arts and Wiki Project Africa. He last edited the Horn of Africa Wiki page on August 25, 2009. His own Wiki page contains a discussion page with a great deal of content, reaching out to additional collaborators. I did find he had been blocked from a couple other pages, however, due do using undesirable language in some of his revisions. His total revisions on this page are 14 in April 2009 only.

//Liban08// was a very active contributor through July of 2009. This user, however, no longer contributes or even possesses an individual Wiki page. He was one of the great debaters concerning the validity of some sources and the language used to portray the referenced material. He, again, had not posted since July 2009 on the Horn of Africa Wiki page. His total revisions are 37 from April 2009 to July 2009.

//Gyrofrog//, another contributor to the Wiki on the Horn of Africa, has a really interesting profile on the Wiki. This user did not participate a huge amount on the Horn of Africa Wiki, however, the user profile makes him worth mentioning. His own Wiki data page is really interesting and show the type of community that exists in the Wikipedia pages. His Wiki profile indicates his own personal stats including:
 * member for over 6 1/2 years
 * made over 3,400 contributions
 * member of various WikiProjects
 * admin of the English Wikipedia
 * married
 * a father
 * plays the saxophone
 * attended University of Texas at Austin
 * has set foot in 22 countries
 * thinks ringtones are annoying