Wikipedia:WikiImp

This page contains material that is kept because it is considered humorous. Such material is not meant to be taken seriously.

A WikiImp is a wiki user who, while not harming Wikipedia, leaves the real work of improving Wikipedia to other users, such as WikiDragons, WikiGnomes and WikiFairies. Some WikiImps hire WikiMercenaries to do their work for them. WikiImps are content with making fly-by passes, sometimes leaving multitudes of tags in their wake flagging places where other more conscientious wikifauna can make improvements.

WikiImps rarely harm an article, although their seemingly endless {{fact}} tags can leave WikiFairies in a tizzy.

A WikiImp is someone who, if you've just been in a serious car accident, will stop and say:

"Your windshield is broken. Both fenders need repair. The engine block is cracked. Your axles are bent. There's blood on the dashboard."

The WikiImp will then drive off without summoning help, leaving you dazed and bleeding, but at least with a complete inventory of the problems facing you.

WikiImps are often accused of "drive-by tagging", an accusation that does not bother WikiImps in the least. WikiImps see their job as pointing out current flaws to WikiReaders and WikiEditors. If a {{fact}} tag left by a WikiImp sparks a WikiGnome to locate a citation or a {{cleanup}} tag brings in a WikiFairy to edit, so much the better – if not, the WikiImp has reminded the Wikipedia user that the information in the articles is only as good as the source – and a WikiImp considers that a good enough job.