You may have noticed that I have my pronouns listed after my name. Have you ever wondered why people do this?

Society has taught us to make assumptions about what pronouns to use for people. If a person’s gender expression (the way they appear in terms of gender) seems to be male, we may tend to use he/him/his when talking about that person. If a person’s appearance seems to be female, we may tend to use she/her/hers. However, gender is not always that simple. Sometimes a person’s gender identity (the way the person identifies in terms of their gender) doesn’t align with their gender expression (the way they look). When a person includes their gender pronouns on their email signature line (or on a name tag, when introducing themselves, etc.), they are simply taking the guesswork away for you! It’s their way of saying “when you refer to me using pronouns, these are the pronouns I’d like for you to use.”

Additionally, using your pronouns can help show others that you are happy and willing to address them by their preferred pronouns. Read more.

wikiHow empowers millions of people to do incredible things. I've started a few articles, but one I'm especially happy I had a hand in writing is How to Check for Skin Cancer.

Mark, a fellow wikiHow Admin, was able to identify skin cancer on a loved one because he stumbled across the article. wikiHow is capable of doing amazing things, including life-saving things.

Click here to see why I wikiHow in a nutshell.

Barnstars have a long history in wiki communities of demonstrating appreciation for people going above and beyond the call of duty and showing gratitude for one another. I'm incredibly appreciative of all who have shared this wikiLove with me.

Learn more about How to Award a wikiHow User a Barnstar to share the love with someone awesome in the wikiHow community today!

The Veteran Barnstar

I recently read through the various Barnstar descriptions to remind myself what the options were. This one reads "For contributing to wikiHow for over three years, watching and nurturing the growth of our site and community." - Well, the "three years" part is kind of a joke at this point. You've got that covered almost 4 times over. But the next part - "watching and nurturing the growth of our site and community" - that part made me think of you right away.

The truth is you don't just watch - you never just watch; you help, you support, you guide, and you protect. You nurture this wiki, our values, and, perhaps most importantly, our community members. You do that whether they're brand newbies or veterans themselves, and whether that means exchanging funny Quick Notes and joke GIFs or having difficult conversations and making tough decisions. As a community, we are lucky to have you with us working on this lofty mission of ours.

So, not 3 years, but 11.5 years so far... Here's to the next 11.5, and more. ~ Anna

Quality wikiHow Contributor

I see Eric as a hero. He is never hasty. He speaks responsibly, defends wikiHow users from trollers patiently, disciplines spammers swiftly and appreciates us all amicably. I know I can ask Eric for help when I am unsure of a certain wikiPhoto for an article. He guides me with just the links and information that will help me. He answers to similar image related questions repeatedly, without sounding irritated. Eric has been helping by editing in many areas like formatting, boosting, taking care of the NFD queue, patrolling recent changes, answering questions on the forums, cheering others for their achievements and the list goes on. Kudos to Eric. Because of him I know there is a hero and a defender of wikiHow right here with us. ~ VY

Kind wikiHow Contributor

Hi Eric! I am awarding you this barnstar for being one of the kindest admins I’ve met! You also have an air of professionalism and helpfulness making my award all the better for you! Congrats! ~ KhadijahS

Kind wikiHow Contributor

For a long history of kindness and friendliness to other editors. ~ Adelaide

Kind wikiHow Contributor

You are always there to offer assistance, and have an uncanny way of helping when not even being asked. Your efforts, and your unselfishness has touched almost everyone you come in contact with. You have a way of knowing just when help is needed, and are there without even being asked. Kindness comes from the heart...and you have a big heart, with much to give. It is my pleasure to have met you, You made my 40,000 contribution, memorable, and have touched me deeply with much gratitude. ~ Sondra C 12:41, 30 June 2007 (GMT)

Dedicated wikiHow Contributor

'What would wikiHow be without your amazing, talented, considerate and caring energy? It wouldn't be as great a place, that's for sure! So many amazing initiative & ideas have come about because of you - without even mentioning the fabulous wikiHow Herald. An all-round wikiHow star, you're a vital wikiHowian in our community. Thanks for everything and hope to see you here forever more! ~ Flickety

High Quality wikiHow Contributor

For his leadership across many areas of wikiHow. In recent weeks, Eric has inspired many here through his work to bring accuracy patrol to zero and work down the NFD backlog too. Now he is leading up the Formatting Project which is tremendously ambitious. I and others at wikiHow are in awe. ~ Jack H 17:48, 22 September 2008 (GMT)

Dedicated wikiHow Contributor

You deserve a Barnstar for so many things you do here, I'll focus on just two reasons today: First, your contributions to the wikiHow formatting project were great. This project is probably the most successful collaboration in wikiHow's history and you were one of the major collaborators. Second, your leadership on the recent admin elections helped enable a smooth and enjoyable election. Many thanks. ~ Jack H 02:14, 1 January 2009 (GMT) '

Improver of Featured Articles

Eric - Your work behind the scenes on Featured Articles benefits millions of readers. You unfailingly make the final edits on each Featured Article to get it ready for its moment in the spotlight. Thanks for making our Featured Articles so good.