Project Wikipedia: How You Can Help Promote Thailand

[Fabricus]

Project Wikipedia: How You Can Help Promote Thailand

Background

A few years ago I met a girl on a dating website. She was nothing special. She had two university degrees and was a former model. So what?

She also had a foreign surname. This was no big deal. She said the surname had something to do with the fact that her back garden was once part of a Perisan-ruled sultanate in the deep south of Thailand. She said that some dude called Sultan Sulaiman Shah ruled the sultanate; she added that Sultan Sulaiman had some fancy cannon; she discussed how the cannon had been thieved by the Siamese and Burmese; she came out with some trivia about how the Brits had captured the cannon from Mandalay Palace in 1885 and sent it back to London; she told me that the cannon is now on permanent display somewhere in Chelsea.

None of this fazed me. I just figured it was a reasonably good story. So I sat down and wrote about it. The article I wrote is of course Wikipedia's best article about Thailand. No big deal. As far as I can recall, it took me about 4 minutes and 29 seconds to write. Piece of piss!

The reality

The article took more than two years to research; it took more than six months to write and a further twelve months to refine. This is not lightweight trivia. It takes an extremely long time to research and write academic articles from scratch.

So what's this about?

I now want to write a new WIKPEDIA'S BEST ARTICLE about Thailand. I want it to be a collaborative project. I want you guys to share your knowledge and/or expertise.

Why?

Because I like the idea of promoting little known aspects of Thailand's history or culture. I like the idea of doing it for free; I like the idea of inviting you guys to help.

So how does this work.

Simple! Wikipedia's best articles are categorized as Featured Articles. These articles are peer-reviewed, checked, and scrutinized. They're generally every bit as good as articles published in peer-reviewed academic articles. The best Featured Articles are highlighted on Wikipedia's home page. They're viewed by thousands of people.

I'm starting to follow -- but I'm still not quite with you

Wikipedia is one of the world's top ten websites, and its home page is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate on the internet. If you can get your article onto Wikipedia's home page, you will succeed in promoting your topic. It's a great way of obtaining free exposure

So what do you propose?

I want to write an article about a National Park in Uttaradit Province. The Park is called Ton Sak Yai.

Huh?

Let me explain:

1. Ton = park

2. Sak = teak

3. Yai = big

What the EFF are you on about?

There is currently no Wikipedia article about Ton Sak Yai, a National Park in Uttaradit Province that's home to some of the largest teak trees in Thailand. I want to write Wikipedia's NEW best article about Thailand. I want the article to be about this National Park. I want you to help. I want the article to achieve FA status and appear on Wikipedia's home page.

In other words, I want to promote -- and gain massive exposure for -- what I consider to be an important but little known tourist attraction in Thailand.

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Next, I'll explain how I intend to get started.

I will also try to "recruit" forum members who I consider to be the best writers on ThaiVisa.

[Fabricus]

I need to begin by compiling resources. By this I mean credible or academic / reputable sources.

I also need need good writers. This part is tricky.

I can think of a few candidates here on TV: Soi Biker, SC and JLCrab. These guys are very good and clearly capable of producing solid, academic content.

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But there's someone better. The best post I've ever seen on TV was written by, well, the guy talked about Sukhothai. I won't say who the guy is. I will say however that SOAS is a top joint. It's not Oxford University, but it's good. I guess it's all about whether or not the guy can overcome his inferiority issues.

[onetime]

You mean something like this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Thailand

Edited January 24, 2016 by onetime

[jacky54]

Don't follow first you said it took you 4 mins to write, then 6 months. Wikki articles are hardly 'academic' are they. How much can there be to say about a small park anyway?

Edited January 24, 2016 by jacky54

[wow64]

OP didnt you erite something about this a few years ago?

Sent from my c64

[Fabricus]

Don't follow first you said it took you 4 mins to write, then 6 months. Wikki articles are hardly 'academic' are they. How much can there be to say about a small park anyway?

Fair point.

I wrote Wiki's best article about Thailand. I said it took a few minutes to write whereas in fact it took years. This was intended a a joke. Evidently a poor one!

There's a category of Wiki articles called Featured Articles. Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_article_criteria

==================

A featured article exemplifies our very best work and is distinguished by professional standards of writing, presentation, and sourcing. In addition to meeting the policies regarding content for all Wikipedia articles, it has the following attributes.

1. It is—
   1. well-written: its prose is engaging, even brilliant, and of a professional standard;
   2. comprehensive: it neglects no major facts or details and places the subject in context;
   3. well-researched: it is a thorough and representative survey of the relevant literature. Claims are verifiable against high-quality reliable sources and are supported by inline citations where appropriate;
   4. neutral: it presents views fairly and without bias; and
   5. stable: it is not subject to ongoing edit wars and its content does not change significantly from day to day, except in response to the featured article process

============================

I'm aiming to create another Featured Article about Thailand. It will be featured on Wikipedia's home page because, well, it's about Thailand.

Most Featured Articles highlighted on Wikipedia's home page are about predictable subjects: English or American history, French literature, Spanish biography, Canadian cuisine, Australian infrastructure.

Wikipedia seeks -- and needs -- diversity. Give Wikipedia a new FA about Thailand and it will hit the home page.

You ask: how much can there be to say about a small park?

Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Singora

That is the most comprehensive English-language account of the sultanate ever written. Prior to this wiki article, next to nothing existed. I researched and wrote everything.

For the new article, the onus is on me to do the same.

Again: how much can there be to say about a small park?

A lot -- in no particular order:

1. History.

2. Visitor numbers.

3. Geography / Geology / Topography.

4. Dendrology / Biodiversity.

5. Social, Economic and Environmental impacts of Tourism.

6. Annual finances / Accounting.

7. So Where Exactly is the World's Largest Teak Tree?

[onetime]

Are you trying to get people killed?

You're actually promoting this place when you know there is not just a blatant disregard for human life, but a contemptuous hatred for anything not from Thailand.

I've done a lot of traveling, and I have never seen an entire populous that inspires others to hate them so much.

I ask; Are you Thai? If you are Thai, try getting your fellow citizens to overhaul their culture. That would be worth a wiki article.

[Fabricus]

Are you trying to get people killed?

You're actually promoting this place when you know there is not just a blatant disregard for human life, but a contemptuous hatred for anything not from Thailand.

I've done a lot of traveling, and I have never seen an entire populous that inspires others to hate them so much.

I ask; Are you Thai? If you are Thai, try getting your fellow citizens to overhaul their culture. That would be worth a wiki article.

I think you need to try a different approach.

Or maybe try a different country.

The scummiest, creepiest, lowest, most deceitful and hypocritical people I've come across here in Thailand were all westerners, not Thais.

[jacky54]

Really you ought to get out more, let those honest, honorable and hard working Thais promote their own country, not our job

[Fabricus]

Really you ought to get out more, let those honest, honorable and hard working Thais promote their own country, not our job

Your tone tells me you don't like Thai people. That's fine. I understand.

I see too that you're not happy with Thailand. Cool. You're not alone. There are zillions of westerners just the same as you.

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Thais can indeed promote Thailand. We all know this. But often they can only do so in Thai.

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There's something all of us take for granted.

Let's suppose you and I choose to write a research paper about the prevalence of (Portuguese and Mon dominated) prostitution in Ayuthaya during the 17th century.

It wouldn't be too hard. We'd just read some stuff ......... and then write some stuff.

But most Thai people couldn't do this? Why? What's the REAL obstacle that prevents most of them from interacting with what we in the west describe as the "global village"?