Justin Knapp

Justin Knapp

Justin Knapp—a Caucasian male with brown hair and a bushy beard—stands with his arms folded

Knapp in 2012
Born Justin Anthony Knapp
(1982-11-18) November 18, 1982
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Nationality American
Citizenship United States
Justin Anthony Knapp's voice
Knapp introducing himself

Justin Anthony Knapp (born November 18, 1982)[1] also known by his screen name Koavf, is an American Wikipedia user from Indianapolis, Indiana, who was the first person to contribute more than one million edits to Wikipedia.[2] As of July 2015, Knapp had made almost 1.5 million edits to Wikipedia.[3] He was ranked No. 1 among the most active Wikipedia contributors of all time, from April 18, 2012 to November 1, 2015.

Education

Knapp attended Covenant Christian High School, where he enrolled in 1997.[1] He holds degrees in philosophy and political science from Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.[4][5] As of 2013, he was pursuing a nursing degree at Indiana University.[6]

Career

Wikipedia

Knapp (third from left) at a Wikipedia training session in 2011

Knapp announced his millionth edit to Wikipedia on April 19, 2012.[4] At the time, he had been submitting on average 385 edits a day since signing up in March 2005; about his performance he said: "Being suddenly and involuntarily unemployed will do that to you."[4] His Wikipedia username, Koavf, was chosen as an acronym for "King of all Vext Fans", a reference to a contest Knapp entered for the comic book Vext in the 1990s.[5] Knapp was a significant contributor to Wikipedia's bibliography on George Orwell,[6][7] and he has also made many edits involving the categorization of albums through Wikipedia's category structure.[8] In 2012, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales congratulated Knapp for his work and presented him with the site's highest award for his achievement[9] by declaring that April 20 would be Justin Knapp Day.[10] In a 2014 interview with Business Insider, Knapp said that "there is no typical day" with regard to his Wikipedia editing, and that his "go-to edits are small style and typo fixes." He also argued that the declining number of Wikipedia editors is "not necessarily a problem".[11]

On July 21, 2014, his editing was the subject of a question on the BBC quiz show University Challenge.[12]

Activism

In 2005, at the United Nations Sixtieth General Assembly, Knapp advocated for the Sahrawi people and spoke about the situation then in Western Sahara.[13] He has also done community organizing for a Restore the Fourth rally in 2013.[14]

Other

Knapp has several jobs unrelated to his Wikipedia editing, including delivering pizzas, and working at a grocery store and a crisis hotline.[3][11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Comisky, Daniel S. (July 26, 2012). "King of Corrections". Indianapolis Monthly.
  2. ↑ "The hardest working man on Wikipedia April 19, 2012". Daily Dot. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Dewey, Caitlin (22 July 2015). "You don’t know it, but you’re working for Facebook. For free.". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "First man to make 1 million Wikipedia edits". The Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 Pogue, Paul F.P. (23 May 2012). "Wiki's Million Edit Man is lifelong Hoosier". Nuvo. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  6. 1 2 Hansen, Lauren (30 January 2013). "6 super-dedicated employees". The Week. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Horn, Leslie (20 April 2012). "Seven Years, One Million Edits, Zero Dollars: Wikipedia's Flat Broke Superstar". Gizmodo. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "Wikipedia: Meet the men and women who write the articles". BBC News. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Hardest working man on the internet passes one million Wikipedia edits". Engadget.com. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Alissa Skelton (23 April 2012). "Wikipedia Volunteer Editor Reaches 1 Million Edits". Mashable. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  11. 1 2 Lubin, Gus (19 September 2014). "This Guy Has Edited Wikipedia More Than 1.3 Million Times — And He Doesn't Believe In The Decline Of The Free Encyclopedia". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Episode 2". University Challenge. Season 2014/2015. Episode 2. 21 July 2014. BBC.
  13. ↑ "REPRESENTATIVES OF MEMBER STATES, NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES, PETITIONERS ADDRESS FOURTH COMMITTEE, AS IT CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE ON DECOLONIZATION: Statements Focus on Questions of Gibraltar , Western Sahara , Guam". United Nations. October 6, 2005. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  14. ↑ Ritger, Carla (July 3, 2013). "Protesters to March Against Government Surveillance in Nationwide Rally". Indianapolis Star. Gannett.

External links

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