We're doing more than just editing pages and getting in the occasional debate about new policies...we are changing the world. I really believe that. And as wikiHow grows, it will become more apparent how we are making the world a better place and influencing others. We are still several years from that...but it is happening.I think this is rather startling! I mean, he really believes we're changing the world. But in retrospect, I can see that. I think inside all of us, we believe we're making some kind of impact on the world. And what better way to do that, than to be a part of some international wiki site that challenges all of us to do something better.
Jack goes on to say that he is refreshed every morning by wikiHow's "long term goal" and not by the daily grind. I think that's what separates visionaries from laborers. Not to say that any other editors lack vision, but I can understand how Jack truly believes that wikiHow's long term goal is the ultimate goal. And as an editor at wikiHow, I have to help get wikiHow to that goal.
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I don't think I realized the potential to make a difference through wikiHow until about this time last year. Three things happened: I went to wikimania and saw the place of wikis in the broader free culture movement, I went to wikimania and met Jack and the other wikiHowians and wikiHow became part of OLPC. Before that, it was like "why am I correcting grammar on this article about how to be hot? will anything ever come of this?"
I do think that the idea of a forkable company is a pretty important one that may change things. Also, I think wikiHow is redefining what a how-to manuak actually is. Before wikiHow, I myself thought it'd be like "This Old House", reading very clinically. But I think the best wikiHows teach you to look at things differently or have the feel of talking to an old friend -- hopefully both.
Also, at wikimania I began to see a big change in perception. Last year, Jack and I felt that wikiHow was the ugly stepchild with responses basically amounting to "why would any wiki want to run differently from wikipedia?". I don't think this feeling really changed for me until I went to RoCoCo in Montreal and met someone from About Us who went up to me proclaiming "I love wikiHow!". Also, people want to hear my ideas now and not just wikiHow people. So now at least I think wikiHow is getting more attention/say in the broader wiki movement. We'll see what else happens...
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