no.stupid.answers

Wait - are you located in the United States and contributing to WikiAnswers instead of eating a big meal consisting of poultry, watching football and hanging/fighting with family?

Wow. And here I thought I knew all the symptoms of being a Wikiholic… Must have missed one in the giant list that was compiled and posted in a new section of the site called: Wikiholics Anonymous.

It’s ok - this is a safe place. Just sit back, let go of the keyboard, and take this simple test to know if you’re a true Wikiholic.

• Your friends and family try reaching you on your message board, rather than your cell phone.
• You can offer way too much insight into a 16-year-old’s love life.
• You give your kids trust points for good behavior.
• You know Miley Cyrus’s favorite color, the cutest Jonas brother and Barack Obama’s middle name off the top of your head.
• You’ve thought about improving people’s answers while having a conversation.
• Little orange men have started to dance around in your dreams.
• Your spouse claims to be a WikiWidow.

Check out the complete list. Are you showing signs of being a Wikiholic? There’s strength in numbers. Join the support group!

Today I’m happy to present a deeper look into one of the brilliant minds behind the WikiAnswers team. Gil is a WikiAnswers tester, who, when not working on making sure the site is constantly perfect, apparently has other things to think about… who knew?

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Yesterday was a big day for me.

Four of my favorite sports teams were playing simultaneously in three different sports, and luck would have it, they all won!

It’s hard to describe how good it feels for a devoted fan when your favorite team wins a game, I think the closest I can come is it’s like having the best ice-cream headache of your life combined with the rush of eating way too much chocolate (before that nasty stomachache kicks in). So if you’ll take that feeling and multiply it by four you’ll know how I feel today…

…kind of sick.

You see, apart from being a part-time Wikiholic, I am also a sportsoholic.

I follow baseball, football, basketball and soccer; in each I have a different favorite team.

Actually, it’s even more complicated than that.

I root for one baseball team, one football team, two basketball teams (one in located in Israel and one from the NBA), and three different soccer teams (one in Israel, one in England and one in Spain).

Wait, I think I can complicate this even further.

One of the basketball teams and two of the soccer teams play in two different leagues each. That’s like trying to Supervise ten different categories…

Oh, and did I mention that almost half of those games are played between midnight to 6 am, my local time?

So, to recap, every year I follow seven teams in ten different leagues, playing more than 365 games. No wonder days like yesterday happen…

Gil

P.S. And I didn’t even talk about my favorite tennis and golf players!

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.

Here’s something you don’t see everyday… A Mentor, Supervisor, WikiGuide and Platinum Contributor. With all the mentoring, supervising and wikiguiding, how does Peterc14 manage to have time to make all those contributions?

I guess the answer is, he’s a Wikiholic, like the rest of us.

A music lover based in Liverpool, UK, Peter is perfect for WikiAnswers since he has a wide range of interests and is really dedicated to giving solid answers.

How did you originally hear about WikiAnswers?

One day last summer I was in Ormskirk, Lancashire and noticed that there was a statue of Benjamin Disraeli, 19th Century Prime Minister of Great Britain. I wondered why the town had chosen to honour him in this way - what was the connection? Searching the internet was fruitless, lots of stuff about Disraeli and Ormskirk but no clue as to the connection.

I eventually came upon WikiAnaswers via a Google search which threw up a question about Runcorn, in Cheshire. At last! I thought, a website which isn’t just about American stuff!

I still didn’t find the answer to my query about Disraeli, but I saw, and answered, a question about William The Conqueror, and then another one about Queen Victoria, the rest, as they say, is history.

What motivates you to volunteer your time to the WikiAnswers community?

I love helping people, in real life as well as on the internet.

I could tell from the wording of many questions that there are some massive misconceptions about the United Kingdom, and British History, and not only in the US, and I particularly enjoy answering those and setting the record straight.

What are your areas of expertise?

British History is my favourite, followed by Literature - I like to think my expertise is in language and the ability to write a clear, concise answer.

What is your favorite WikiAnswers feature?

Split and Merge - I have developed a an obsession - sorry - passion for splitting incorrect alternates and placing them in their correct home. If someone asks what is Princess Diana’s shoe size, they should not get her waist measurement just because that has been incorrectly placed.

What is the funniest question/funniest experience as a Supervisor on WikiAnswers?

I can’t think of any especially funny questions - I try and take them all seriously, even the wacky ones. I have seen questions about Henry VIII’s wines - “N” isn’t far away from “V” on the keyboard.

Share a random fact about yourself.

I am the father of twins and until they were born we didn’t know it would be twins - we were all ready for ONE baby!

Do you want to be interviewed for the Contributor corner? Just leave a comment below and we’ll get to work.