Hi! I'm Matthew (or Matt) Prior.

If I've made a mistake, or you believe a revert I made of your edit was in error, please leave a message on my talk page, or ping me on the talk page of the relevant article, so that we can discuss the matter in more detail. I always value constructive discussion, criticism, praise and advice.

About me

edit

Much of my current editing on Wikipedia is counter-vandalism. I also use ReFill and the Internet Archive to combat link rot and bare citations. I have begun to attempt to very slowly reduce the backlog on All articles with bare URLs for citations.

I am particularly interested in classical music (as a pianist, horn player and recorder player), musical temperament systems, air traffic control, local history, geography, maths and astronomy. Many of my more substantial contributions are to pages about places in and around Berkshire and the South of England.

 This user tries to do the right thing. If they make a mistake, please let them know.
enThis user is a native speaker of the English language.
 This user lives in Berkshire.
 This user has rollback rights on the English Wikipedia. (verify)
  This user uses Huggle to combat vandalism.
RWThis user uses RedWarn to fight vandalism.
 This user uses reFill to expand bare references.
IAThis user uses the Internet Archive.
Committed identity: 6acbd39cb05d5619985e964785d9498e32b9188165f8b08d4ef932d167a985a3529ada44a663e20a3a675f387829c6a75d6f17adc0aa382b564d759243742247 is a SHA-512 commitment to this user's real-life identity.

Principles

edit

I support many of Hammersoft’s principles, including:

  • "The newest editor, acting in good faith, should enjoy the same privileges as the most experienced editor." ... "This project was founded on the absolutely absurd idea that anyone can edit. Despite heavy criticism, Wikipedia has succeeded in creating by far the most powerful and comprehensive encyclopedia the world has ever seen. Nothing is even remotely close. If we walk away from the principle of "anyone can edit" we might as well close up shop."
  • "The only thing that matters in the context of your work on Wikipedia is whether or not the project is improved." ... "None of our opinions ultimately matter. Five years from now, no one will remember what you say. What matters is the project."
  • "You don't have all the answers, and never will. The project is too large for one person to understand all facets of its operation. It's ok. If you think you can improve something, be bold and do it. If someone reverts what you do, engage in discussion."
  • "Consensus is critical to cooperative editing. Without it, people are simply shouting at each other. Consensus doesn't mean you agree. Sometimes the consensus feels very wrong. That's ok. Disagreement, however, is not a permission slip to edit against consensus." ... "The most powerful, and the most underutilized method of ending a disagreement on the project is disengagement. Walk away. If two people are having an argument, and one person walks away, there's no argument anymore." … "One of our most critical policies is the need to remain civil at all times, no matter the provocation" ... "You do not have to be right or wrong, and being either is insignificant compared to listening to the other party and gaining an understanding of their concerns. Refusing to listen and insisting on being right is guaranteed to fail. The drive to be right is guaranteed to fail its primary purpose. Build on listening."

I aim to act in accordance with these principles, along with Wikipedia’s policies, to my best capability. I hope my contributions to the project will help make available as much valuable information as is possible, and that my work may perhaps help preserve and improve this encyclopaedia into the future. However, as a human, sometimes I may make mistakes.

Articles I have contributed to

edit

I am particularly proud of my (albeit small) improvements to Ashmansworth, Blewbury, Ashmore Green and Bradfield, Berkshire. I am currently working on these articles: Willoughby on the Wolds.

Articles Created

edit

Some of my photography

edit