Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Dan just needs to write the article somewhere else first so that it can be used as a source.

You say "Editing articles concerning oneself is frowned upon". I've heard that Jimmy Wales edits his own article. I've edited mine by adding links to News articles. I haven't edited the text.

I've done a lot of editing in the videoblogging entry. I sure got an education while doing that...

Wikipedia requires you to source what you've written with an article from an approved source like a book or newspaper.

The Wikipedians don't want you to create articles about yourself, looking on that as self-promotion.

There is a problem here when the co-creator of the spreadsheet can't even write the history of what he has done. Dan doesn't need any more promotion and he'd just be writing history. I think Wikipedia looses out by it's rules.

If Dan has written a book about the history of the spreadsheet, or a news article has been written on it, then I guess he could re-write that history and source it to that book or newspaper article.

But then that assumes what is written is accurate.

I'll have to check out some of those alternatives you link to.

(Well, one site is a parody.)

More precisely, one site admits to parody. I can't help but see the spirit of the late(??) Andy Kaufman in number 6 on that list, Conservapedia, The Trustworthy Encyclopedia. A quick comparison of Wikipedia and Conservapedia site logos shows similarities (both are based on a circle, a name, and a slogan) and differences — one circle is meant to be 3-dimensional, a puzzle being pieced together with knowledge of the world; the other 2-dimensional based on the flag of a single nation and totally complete already.

Conservapedia's front page today offers a distinct and alternative vision. Quoting:

On this day, June 8, 1915, the greatest-ever Democratic politician resigned as Secretary of State based on his principled opposition to World War I. His name was William Jennings Bryan. Ten years later he prevailed as the prosecutor in the Scopes trial.

As for "prevailing" at the Scopes trial, that judgment requires a very narrow view that looks past Clarence Darrow making a monkey of Mr Bryan on the witness stand. It has also been argued that the Scopes trial contributed to Bryan's death less than a week after trial's end. On the other hand, according to Wiki, defendant Scopes was ordered to pay a $100 fine.

As a Nebraskan, I must admit a certain fondness for Mr Bryan's record. While he isn't likely the greatest Democratic politician he does represent a class of Nebraska politicians (George Norris, Terry Carpenter, Ernie Chambers, are others) who follow their political muse.