Michael+Phelps+Discussion+Section

Michael Phelps Wikipedia website has at least 500 revisions accounted for thus far. The very first was on July 8th, 2004 where a news article was posted on the site, along with some sort of official website that Phelps was located. The beginning of the edits on this page were around the time of Phelps quest to earn 8 gold swimming medals, therefore he was becoming very popular and catching the public eye easily. The most recent revision to this website altered an external link to the site on October 7th, 2010. This specific person added in additional reference websites to Michael Phelps' personal website, along with USA Swimming Athlete biography page. Since Phelps is a well-known professional swimmer, most of his revisions and posting are additions based off of the placings he received in specific nationally and international swimming competitions. For instance, Phelps recently competed in the 2010 Pan Pacs Games where he placed in numerous events causing additions to his site. As I navigate through his site, and recent updated history, I notice there is constantly some sort of update. Whether it is a new picture, or even Phelps getting in trouble with the law, people are on their toes posting anything they may know this noteworthy swimmer.
 * 1. Account for the postings (number of revisions, time range from first to last, notation of periods of activity)**

There has been enormous progress in the article from the original to most recent update. I imagine the site has been completely altered, but for the better. I think this is partially because Phelps gradually made his entrance into the Olympic scene. He had been swimming competitively all his life, however; it was not until he entered high school where his coaches, friends, and family began to realize his potential to be an Olympian and one of the most talked about athletes in the 21st century. Phelps' initial page is very bare compared to what it looks like today. At first, there was a very basic biography, listing his hometown and 3 paragraph on his debut at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. There is also a reference to Mark Spitz and how Phelps may have the opportunity to break Spitz's record of earning 7 gold medals in one Olympic Games. Then, as years go by, Phelps accomplishes more in the pool, leading him to new US and world records-causing huge updates to his wiki page on a yearly basis. Pictures began to be added, along with social aspects in Phelps live (steering away from strictly swimming posts). Grids/charts were also posted on the wiki page so viewers could visually see the dates and times of the events Phelps' competed in and ultimately won first place in. The most recent page includes way more detail than even 1 year ago, such as updated pictures and meet results from as recent as meet results from August 2010. Each year, new information continues to be added because of his success in the water and the name he is making on a national scene.
 * 2. Describe progress or development in the article from the original post to the most recent update**

The writing quality of Michael Phelps' Wikipedia site is fairly good. The information is presented in a very factual, concise, short manner making it easy for readers to enter his site and learn many interesting things pretty quickly. I have been a swimmer all my life, swam in several meets with Michael Phelps, and have read about him in the local newspapers for years since I am from Baltimore as well. Therefore, the information presented about him is very accurate. I know this because swimming is all based on time. There are websites with real-time results for every meet conducted, therefore it is extremely difficult to supply faulty information such as incorrect times and/or placings on something such as Phelps' wiki page. The controversies section on his wiki page is also very valid. The site even includes links to other resources to ensure readers that an event truly happened. Overall, this site leaves the readers well-informed of both the personal and swimming life of Michael Phelps.
 * 3. Critique the quality of the article in its current state (writing quality and factual information)**

I suspected a good amount of discussion on Michael Phelps. In the swimming world he is said to be one of the most gifted, athletic, freak-of-nature type of individuals. After the 2008 Olympics in Beijing he made headlines, appearances on several major news stations, and became pretty much everyone's idol in swimming. However, talk has also surfaced because of his mishaps with marijuana and drinking and driving incidents. Therefore, on Phelps' wiki site there are currently 28 discussion topics. Some of these discussion talk about his new world records in events such as the 100 meter butterfly, or the actual county in which he was raised, and even his overall physique. Others wish to discuss his six beat kick used in his freestyle events, whether he actually graduated from the University of Michigan while he trained there, and how many national title Phelps actually holds as a swimmer. The only negative discussions taking place on the site are Phelps incident where he was seen smoking a bong and the decision around this incident regarding his endorsements, and Phelps use of Ritalin at age 9 for 2 years. I feel as though people would want to discuss the few things Phelps has been in trouble for-one being his driving under the influence situation in 2004. There is no discussion topic regarding this by anyone, but there is a paragraph about what actually happened on the Michael Phelps wiki site.
 * 4. Describe the discussion around the article**


 * An interesting point to make is that there is a small bullet on the discussion page stating that this wiki has been mentioned in the media as being one of the 50 most viewed Wikipedia articles in 2008 and 2009. This was published in The Daily Telegraph, posted August 17, 2009.

The most active contributor, with 170 edits is Philipmj24. His first edit was on June 21, 2009, while his most recent occurred on September 18, 2010. This individual was born in 1989, and is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps. He was born in Oklahoma and is proud to be an American. This individual is extremely interested in sports such as track and field, cross country, and swimming. Therefore, most of his revisions are on notable swimmers and runners wiki pages. He claims he usually browses famous athletes pages, and fixes what he sees to be incorrect. I can definitely see why he is a main contributor. This person he predominately close in age to Phelps, while he also targets many famous athletes accomplishing greatness in their sports**.**
 * 5. Provide background information on the most active contributors.**

The next most active contributor has made revisions to Phelps' page 169 times, and uses the name -The-Rocket-147-. His very first edit came on August 9th, 2008, while he last posted on August 2nd, 2009. This specific contributor does not have a user page set up yet, therefore there is no background information provided.

The third most contributor has made edits 94 times and uses the name, Andy M. Wang. His first edit took place on July 31st, 2008, while his most recent was August 8th, 2010. This individual is a undergraduate student at Cornell University, where he usually edits on things such as classical music. However, he has just over 10,000 total edits, therefore he has done an array of work on all sort of wiki sites.