Is there a Wikipedian National Anthem? Here’s a story in Wired about Power Wikipedians. I prefer to think of that status in the altruistic sense of “powerful givers” rather than the Foucaultian sense of “circulators of power via discourse.” Their mini-bios sure don’t read like those of career “discourse initiators.” (Yes, today is bash-Michel day at Casa Campbell.) Author Daniel Terdiman has this to say about power Wikipedian Stacey Greenstein:

According to Wikipedia’s lists of most active editors, Greenstein made 1,809 edits during the past month. But she thinks that the timing is off and that those numbers refer to the work she did in December. “I suppose knowing that the 1,800 number was wrong says more about me than the fact that I edited 1,800 during some 30-day period.”

Greenstein’s passion in the real world is the same as it is on Wikipedia: fixing things. She is as likely to put misplaced books back in order in a bookstore as she is to correct a Wikipedia article. “I can’t understand why people would take a book off the shelf to see if they like it, and then put it back in the wrong place,” she said.

Greenstein has covered a wide variety of topics. Her favorites are primates and cephalopods, and recently, New York City subways. She considers it her mandate to be as good a Wikipedia citizen as she can, especially as the project has grown up. “I care a great deal about … Wikipedia,” she said. “The concept of ‘freedom to do as we please’ has finally begun its maturation to ‘responsible to do what we need.'”

Could this be the return of the philosopher kings and queens, except that this time anyone who wants to be one need only volunteer for Wikipedia duty?