Justin Anthony Knapp (born November 18, 1982),[1] also known by his online moniker Koavf, is an American former Wikipedia user who was the first person to contribute more than one million edits to Wikipedia.[2] As of September 2021[update], Knapp has made over 2.1 million edits on the English Wikipedia.[3][4] He was ranked No. 1 among the most active Wikipedia contributors of all time from April 18, 2012, to November 1, 2015, when he was surpassed by Steven Pruitt.
Justin Knapp | |
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![]() Knapp in 2012 | |
Born | Justin Anthony Knapp November 18, 1982 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
Other names | Koavf |
Education | Philosophy and Political Science, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis |
Occupation | Former Wikipedia editor |
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.[5][6]
Career
Wikipedia
Knapp announced his millionth edit to Wikipedia on April 19, 2012.[5] 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."[5] Margaret Ferguson, an associate professor of political science at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and one of Knapp's professors, said she was not surprised by his dedication to editing Wikipedia.[7][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][11] 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".[12]
His Wikipedia username, Koavf, was chosen as an acronym for "King of all Vext Fans", a reference to a contest Knapp entered for Vext in the 1990s.[6] Knapp was a significant contributor to Wikipedia's bibliography of George Orwell,[13][14] and he has also made many edits involving the categorization of albums through Wikipedia's category structure.[15] In 2012, the Indianapolis Star reported that Knapp sometimes edited Wikipedia for as many as 16 hours a day.[8]
In 2024, Knapp was banned indefinitely from editing on Wikipedia for "persistent disruptive and combative behavior over a prolonged period, and exhausting the community's patience." He had been blocked several times, four of which were indefinite, over his 19 years on the site.[16]
Activism
In 2005, at the United Nations Sixtieth General Assembly, Knapp advocated for the Sahrawi people and spoke about the situation in Western Sahara.[17][18] He has also been involved in community organizing for a Restore the Fourth rally in 2013.[19]
Other
Knapp has had several jobs, including delivering pizzas for the Indianapolis pizzeria Just Pizza,[20] working at a grocery store, and working at a crisis hotline.[21][12]
See also
References
- ^ a b Comisky, Daniel S. (July 26, 2012). "King of Corrections". Indianapolis Monthly.
- ^ Morris, Kevin (April 19, 2012). "The hardest working man on Wikipedia". The Daily Dot. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- ^ "Koavf - Simple Counter". XTools. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Wikipedia:List of Wikipedians by featured article nominations
- ^ a b c Titcomb, James (April 20, 2012). "First man to make 1 million Wikipedia edits". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ a b Pogue, Paul F.P. (May 23, 2012). "Wiki's Million Edit Man is lifelong Hoosier". Nuvo. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Vinci, Angela (July 5, 2012). "In the News - June 2012". Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Guerra, Kristine (June 18, 2012). "Week in Wiki out: Hoosier is top contributor to online encyclopedia". Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ "Hardest working man on the internet passes one million Wikipedia edits". Engadget.com. April 20, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^ "Wikipedia:Justin Knapp Day", Wikipedia, August 30, 2016, retrieved October 5, 2020
- ^ Alissa Skelton (April 23, 2012). "Wikipedia Volunteer Editor Reaches 1 Million Edits". Mashable. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ^ a b Lubin, Gus (September 19, 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 September 21, 2014.
- ^ Hansen, Lauren (January 30, 2013). "6 super-dedicated employees". The Week. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- ^ Horn, Leslie (April 20, 2012). "Seven Years, One Million Edits, Zero Dollars: Wikipedia's Flat Broke Superstar". Gizmodo. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
- ^ "Wikipedia: Meet the men and women who write the articles". BBC News. July 14, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Block log - Wikipedia". en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on April 7, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ "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. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ Ritger, Carla (July 3, 2013). "Protesters to March Against Government Surveillance in Nationwide Rally". Indianapolis Star. Gannett.
- ^ Disis, Jill (January 20, 2014). "Co-workers scrambled to find missing pizza delivery man until the worst became clear". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ Dewey, Caitlin (July 22, 2015). "You don't know it, but you're working for Facebook. For free". Washington Post. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
External links
- Justin Knapp's Wikipedia user page
- Justin Knapp publications indexed by Google Scholar
- "Seven Years, One Million Edits, Zero Dollars: Wikipedia's Flat Broke Superstar"
- "Justin Knapp Becomes Wikipedia Legend With One Million Edits"
- "Justin Knapp: One man, one million Wikipedia edits"
- "Week in Wiki out: Hoosier is top contributor to online encyclopedia"
- Meet The Guy Who's Made 1.4 Million Wikipedia Edits And Counting