Group works to improve town's Wikipedia look

CONNECTED: Siobhan Leachman speaks to Mike Dickison on Skype while Judith Robinson looks on. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY

A small but dedicated group were busily working yesterday to make sure Wanganui didn't look "lame" on Wikipedia.

Mike Dickison had a "small crowd" with him yesterday at the Alexander Heritage & Research Library, working on updating and filling in Wikipedia pages about Wanganui.

Two people attended Dr Dickison's Wikipedia edit-a-thon, and two others helped "remotely".

Dr Dickison had just finished showing one woman how to set up an account and begin working on the page when the Chronicle arrived. Meanwhile, another person was uploading copyright-free photographs to be used on the site.

They would work on loading articles on to the Wikipedia page so people could access more information about Wanganui.

"We're lucky because we have a whole historic reference library here. It's really lucky that the Alexander has let us use this," Dr Dickison said.

"It's really a perfect space."

He said Wikipedia pages of provincial areas of New Zealand suffered.

The Whanganui National Park had "two to three paragraphs" of information on its page, which was concerning if visitors to the country wanted to decide where to go.

They would see minimal amounts of information on Whanganui National Park, and choose to go elsewhere, he said.

"If we look lame on Wikipedia, that's what the world sees of us."

Dr Dickison was "really trying to drum up enthusiasm from folks" about Wanganui's Wikipedia information.