I'm just this guy, you know? You can call me Jethro.
Why is your username I JethroBT?
Jethro was a nickname given to me by some friends of mine who liked this rock band with a flautist. Jethrobot was inspired by the same group of friends after watching I, Robot (I haven't seen it). In the weird way that nicknames tend to stick, it did. And so it was I, Jethrobot. I later changed the -bot to -BT because "bot" might cause folks to think I'm not a real boy. The BT doesn't stand for anything in particular.
Why Wikipedia? & editing history
I joined Wikipedia on Sunday, August 13th in 2006, making some edits to Dragon Quest Yangus and Game Boy, but I wasn't really active until 2011. I was curious about deletion then; I knew it was easy to add stuff to articles, but didn't know much about how content was removed. So, I started spending my time watching and participating in deletion discussions and letting this sink in. It's been a fun ride since learning how this fantastic project gets built. It's not magic, but it sure feels that way sometimes.
Notice
Notice
I provide services to the Wikimedia Foundation as a community organizer, but this is my personal account as a volunteer. Edits, statements, or other contributions made from this account are my own, and may not reflect the views of the Foundation. To speak to me as a volunteer on Wikipedia, please leave your message at User talk:I JethroBT. If you want to reach me in an official capacity, please get in touch with me at meta:User talk:I JethroBT (WMF).
All Saints Episcopal Church (Chicago, Illinois) - My very first article-- it's the oldest wooden-frame church in Chicago. I am hoping it will get up to a DYK! :) Things be praised-- it got a DYK! :D
Articles I have worked hard on and made them pretty OK
Articles
Game Boy - Added a lot of technical information, initial release information, and have just generally cleaned up the page since 2006. I still keep an eye on it.
Leon Daniel - Vietnam War and US Civil Rights Movement reporter with UPI. Saved from its AfD. And have vastly improved. This page is some of my best work, and I feel very proud of it as an editor.
Veet - Hair removal product and chemical depilatory. Also has an interesting history. I even found a few old ads that were pretty funny to read that I've included as sources. Saved from its AfD.
Dog camp - Helped find sources during the AfD to keep this concept afloat that was, at first, considered a hoax. I helped with clean-up, but most of that was done by Tomwsulcer.
Heroes in Hell (and other books in the series) - Major clean-up due to some COI- and notability-related issues.
Edward Francis Anhalt - A community organizer in Milwaukee, and probably one of the most challenging articles I've had in the face of an AfD.
Engineering psychology - Mostly got involved in this one during its AfD. I initially thought it should be deleted, but I ended up cleaning it up and making fixes during the AfD and after it was kept.
Benjamin Moore & Co. - Kind of looked like a copyvio at first, but wasn't. This isn't a particularly long article, but the company received some coverage and several awards for its paint products, so I added in content to reflect these findings.
Merz Apothecary - Started as a stub, and found some decent sources about its history to flesh out the article a bit more.
Saint Maighneann - Initially speedily deleted as a copyvio, but I encouraged and worked with another editor to rewrite it and flesh it out a bit more.
Taiko - Just an article that needed lots of improvement, like having nearly zero citations for instance.
Contra dance - Folk dancing tradition descended from French/English dances. Easy to learn, and lots of fun (I've been dancing since 2008!)
Kodo (taiko group) - Easily the most recognizable taiko group worldwide.
John C. McManus - Military historian and author, often writing in a narrative style.
John Robinson (aviator) - Black aviator responsible for opening up piloting opportunities for African-Americans in the United States.
I like these things that Wikipedians have said (at least in part)
[1] - On edit counts and RfAs, from Coffee (talk· contribs)
[2] Some words from Drmies (talk· contribs) on a lot of stuff, like curbing your enthusiasm, though I don't care so much for the old vs. young stuff.
[3] A new editor has this to say after being feeling pushed away by warnings and incorrect reverts identified as vandalism to her contributions. We all need to be careful of being BITEy.
[4]Iryna Harpy (talk· contribs) comments on how in their (and definitely my) childhood, Wikipedia is the blow-your-mind kind of futuristic stuff we dreamed about: "the stuff of science fiction", she says. I definitely agree.
[5][6] This exchange between Jimbo Wales and Robert McClenon about acknowledging that our community tolerates incivility, and considerations on what we might do about it.
COI declarations
I have recently worked at or been closely affiliated with the following institutions / companies and will never edit these articles for any reason:
I am honored to award you this Barnstar for your work in catching my typos and your valued assistance in bringing Wikipedia:A Primer for newcomers to life for the community. It is hoped that newcomers will benefit from WP:NewbieGuide for years to come. Schmidt,MICHAEL Q. 05:48, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
The Special Barnstar
During disussions on the talk page for Wikipedia:A Primer for newcomers you shared some wonderful insights that I was able to incorporate into the essay. I am grateful for your assistance and hope that WP:NewbieGuide will be of benefit to newcomers for years to come. Schmidt,MICHAEL Q. 06:04, 16 August 2011 (UTC)
The Feedback Responder Barnstar
Without people like you the feature would be useless. Lectonar (talk) 07:22, 28 August 2012 (UTC)
The Defender of the Wiki Barnstar
Your immediate response to substantive vandalism by someone pretending to be an administrator deserves recognition. Nicely done. Stalwart111(talk) 06:53, 26 September 2012 (UTC)
The Feedback Responder Barnstar
For your super fantastic work in Moodbar feedback dashboard, you earnYou don't just get a barnstar, you earn it this barnstar! --Tito Dutta✉ 07:19, 5 October 2012 (UTC)|}
You asked for an explanation at the RfA. If you don't mind I will answer here rather than take up room at the RfA. I have 5 adult children and 13 grandchildren. When my second son was 10 years old, he carved his name into a bus stop bench. I saw it and asked if he had done it. He said he did. We went to the bus stop, waited for the next bus, and I had my son apologize to the driver for his act of vandalism. The driver was quiziczl and probably didnt have any idea what was going on. But...my son knew there would be consequences to his actions. I dont know what User:Sigma's act against Conservitopia was. He will not elaborate. But I get the impression that he didnt UN-do it. Even now, a year later he could do something, anything. His regret and apology to wikipedia editors is meaningless. ```Buster SevenTalk 07:08, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
I would argue that a sincere expression of regret of one's poor judgment or an apology is never meaningless, but I can understand that this might not be sufficiently satisfactory for some, and that a clearer undoing of harm would be valuable. I, Jethrobotdrop me a line (note: not a bot!) 07:18, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
Meaningless in the sense that Wikipedia and its editors were not "the harmed", not the victim of his vandalism. So why apologize to us. He might as well go to Amazon.com and say he regrets his actions. They dont mean anything since they are directed at the wrong party. I accept his expression of regret and don't intend to sound vindictive. From the supports I get that he is a good editor. This little delay in his admin coronation will most likely do him good. Nice to meet you. ```Buster SevenTalk 07:34, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
For assisting newcomers on Wikipedia:Teahouse/Questions. Your responses have always been friendly and helpful, and your participation is highly appreciated. Keep up the great work! xanchester(t) 19:53, 5 November 2012 (UTC)
The Guidance Barnstar
A barnstar for your well-worded and useful advice to editors at Wikipedia:Teahouse. I've been contributing there from time to time answering questions, and I noticed your great work there. Northamerica1000(talk) 01:24, 30 November 2012 (UTC)
Thanks for you help. It was awesome. Ms.Bono(zootalk)☆ 13:24, 9 July 2013 (UTC)
The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Just wanted to recognize how you took the extra step to help out a frustrated new editor make their article a reality. Singularity42 (talk) 20:29, 12 August 2013 (UTC)
The Random Acts of Kindness Barnstar
Thanks for answering to all my silly questions and requests. Miss Bono[zootalk] 17:41, 22 August 2013 (UTC)
Thank you for protecting my user page. Details may be seen at #3 to #6 hereTito☸Dutta 17:14, 30 September 2013 (UTC)
Barnstar of Awesome
You are hereby awarded the Barnstar of Awesome for your amazing work alpha-testing The Wikipedia Adventure. Over 180 bugs were identified and 143 of them have been fixed already! (The rest are catalogued as known bugs).
You. Are. Awesome. Check out your name in the game credits here: WP:TWA/About.
Thank you again :) --User:Ocaasi 17:34, 23 October 2013 (UTC)
The Real Life Barnstar
A Barnstar for organizing Chicago meetup!! Prabodh 22:09, 29 October 2013 (UTC)
The Special Barnstar
Thank you J for all your help and advice that you have offered me within the past 2 days. your support and faith in me has really been appreciated. I feel more confident in myself thanks to al your advice and wisdom regarding a few of my struggles. Can't thank you enough. :) :) Kendall (talk) 21:25, 29 August 2014 (UTC)
In thanks for all the work you do, especially to promote mentorship of newer editors.Cullen328Let's discuss it 05:14, 14 October 2014 (UTC)
The WikiProject Barnstar
For your extensive contributions to the Military history WikiProject, as evidenced by your nomination in the 2014 "Military History Newcomer of the Year" awards, I am delighted to present you with this WikiProject Barnstar!TomStar81 (Talk) 02:35, 22 December 2014 (UTC)
The Civility Barnstar
For being a very good, thorough and considerate GA reviewer on Sunil Kumar Verma. w.carter-Talk 11:27, 3 March 2015 (UTC)
The Barnstar of Diligence
Thank you for helping PMML get started as a GLAM. According to the WikiProject directory, GLAM/Pritzker is the 2nd largest Cultural Partnership WikiProject as of today! TeriEmbrey (talk) 16:20, 9 July 2015 (UTC)
For your lovely contribution Kindness and Concern, as evidenced by your sweet invitation to the Co-op, I am delighted and completely unauthorized to present you with this WikiLove Barnstar!Asdiprizio (Talk)(UTC)