Writing a Wikipedia Article

I've written a Wikipedia article for the first time. To be honest, at first, I found the task a little daunting. I think the key to starting is to pick a topic that you can either relate to or find  interesting. I selected the stub 'Thrift Store Chic.' I thought the topic was interesting because it concerned a very specific type of dressing that had not been elaborated upon in detail. I began by reading all the information that already existed in the entry in order to have a good idea of where the article needed more information, or what related topics contributed to the definition of 'thrift store chic.' After, I began looking for peer-reviewed articles in the Academic Search Complete Database. After realizing that my topic was a rather narrow one with very limited research done, I started to look for indirect ways of locating useful information by searching people who may have been influential to the style movement, such as Nirvana front man, Kurt Cobain. Researching the types of clothes he and other grunge artists wore and popularizes helped me understand what they wore and what it symbolized to them. Another alternative approach looking at social connotations and perceptions of wearing used clothing. Newspaper articles were especially useful in my research. They provided useful insights on clothing and social trends. I also referred to a textbook, Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis G. Tortora and Keith Eubank, in order to gain a better sense of what was going on socially at the time thrift store chic was influential. 

Once began writing, I pieced the information I had gathered from a variety of sources into a cohesive article that encompassed what 'thrift store chic' was all about. I found it interesting how this topic had different facets from grunge music to 80s movies (the example I referred to in the article is from Pretty in Pink). 

Source: This Day In Fashion: http://onthisdayinfashion.com/?p=11761

When my article finally reached a point I thought had good readability and concise and clear information, I began to insert my citations. At first, I felt completely confused. I thought the citations all went at the end, but after some trial-and-error and Google searching, I discovered a website that charted out exactly what to type in order to achieve desired results. The link is here, if you would like to check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources. While Wikipedia markup language is tricky at first, I felt fairly comfortable using it after the second citation. I believe I wouldn't mind taking the time later on to learn more about it and use different techniques. 

I find it funny that when I had submitted the article and it was up, online, for everyone to see, I felt a little attached to it. It's my mark on Wikipedia and I think it is interesting to know that someone, sometime in the future, will have to look up this topic and possibly read what I have compiled. To check out my article, you can click on this link: Thrift Store Chic. While I have been warned that Wikipedia is not a reliable source to use, I believe there are many articles that people have taken time to create and foster that are great resources to read when you would like to get informed on a topic casually. For example, my colleague and fellow human ecologist, Angela, has written a Wikipedia article titled "Life Course Approach." Here is a link to her blog: http://ales204humanecologystudent.blogspot.ca/. If you'd like to find a stub of your own to write about, or an article that needs to be supplemented in content and citations, this URL is a good starting point:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Stub_categories.