Wikipedia Stub Expanded by Yours Truly

As of today I created a Wikipedia user account and started editing and expanding on a Wikipedia stub called Soil litter. To the majority of people soil litter does not sound like the most exciting thing learn about, but it is actually very important to how ecosystems are formed in terrestrial environments. Soil litter is the accumulation of dead and decaying plant and animal material on the ground (forest floors, prairie fields) where ever plants and animals live and die.

I can see why Wikipedia and other online people powered encyclopaedias are so predominant in culture today. They are an invaluable tool for quick and easy information. I can understand why people become so zealous over articles they edit. Even while I was developing this stub I felt like I was nursing a growing child by feeding it with information and credible sources. Now hopefully it will take off on its own and other people will add more to the topic. I will definitely be watching Soil litter on Wikipedia for further development.

While expanding the article I also attempted to add a picture for use of portraying a section described. The image I found did not have any copyright information, so I decided to contact its author and ask for permission. In doing so I developed a web-based acquaintance while building upon the article. Connecting and reaching out to people, whether experts in a topic or people learning about it, is also a big part of online Wikis. As Angela Zimmerman mentioned in her blog post about Wiki editing, "the diversity of authors can provide many different perspectives and concepts."

Below is an example of what soil litter looks like in colder climates such as Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta.

WikiMedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File%3ALesser_Slave_Lake%2C_Shore_Fall_2010.JPG,