hemicudas said:
I totally agree, DP. There are many things JAM does that don't get recognition. She is a true asset to the billiards world. Thanks, JAM.
Thanks, Bill. It is actually because of AzBilliards Discussion Forum that I learned about Wikipedia. I did not know much about it until Snapshot9 explained it to me in a thread when I asked why Filipino players were well represented on Wikipedia and not very many American players.
That is when I decided to roll up my sleeves and become a junior Wikipedian. I have been "adopted" on Wikipedia by a senior Wikipedian now, but it is still a learning process for me. The punctuation style is English and not American, i.e., quotation marks inside punctuation marks, et cetera.
The National Billiard Newsletter, the oldest pool media, closed its doors earlier this year. I loved that paper and still to. I bought all issues from 1975 to 1985 in an effort to obtain name spellings, dates, and other chronological data. The Snap magazine, though not in existence for very long, is also a gold mine when it comes to data of American pool players in the '80s.
In writing Keith's book, I soon came to realize there was not much by way of a pool archives, especially as it pertains to history of American pool. Word of mouth seems to be the best source sometimes. Pool as we know it today has a rich history, much of which emanated in the States.
What's tough about American pool players is the lack of data available. Everything in Wikipedia must be referenced with a news source, book, or other written material. Word of mouth don't cut it on Wikipedia.
There are a few pool Wikipedians who contribute from time to time, but more data is needed for American pool players. So far, we only have 43 American players in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_pool_players
This number should be at least 243 American players and not 43, but the data for referencing purposes is hard to come by.
The only thing stopping me from adding more players is finding the time needed to do it the right way. Terry Ardeno, with his vast knowledge of American players, sure would make a great Wikipedian, IMHO!
JAM
