Love it or hate it, Wikipedia has changed the way we create and gather information forever.
So, let us delve into the wonderful world of Wikipedia
What is Wikipedia?
Well, at the risk of being charged with circular reasoning, let us examine what Wikipedia’s about page (Wikipedia:About) has to say about itself..
Wikipedia (pronounced /ˌwɪkɨˈpiːdi.ə/ WIK-i-PEE-dee-ə) is a multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly-editable model. The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.”
Who can edit Wikipedia?
Once again we turn to Wikipedia’s About page to tell us all about who can edit it…
Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles (except in certain cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption and/or vandalism). Users can contribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or with their real identity, if they choose. The Wikipedia community has developed many policies and guidelines to improve the encyclopedia; however, it is not a formal requirement to be familiar with them before contributing.
How many articles does Wikipedia have?
You guessed it you super smart person you…we are going to ask Wikipedia: (English Articles only)
As of today (Aug. 17th, 2010*), there are 3,384,028 articles in English. Every day, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world collectively make tens of thousands of edits and create thousands of new articles to augment the knowledge held by the Wikipedia encyclopedia. (See also: Wikipedia:Statistics.)
*added by me…not part of the article
Do people use Wikipedia?
Yes, Wikipedia is one of the most popular sites on all the internet…attracting millions of people a day, from the casual surfer to the college professor, people are constantly reading and creating articles on this massive website.
Why Wikipedia?
Well, people crave dynamic information. For some, a traditional Encyclopedia set is simply too static and can become outdated too quickly. Plus, almost every Wikipedia article has “blue words”…links to other articles based on highlighted words. Look at the partial articles above, notice how many of the words are blue? If you click on one of those words, it will bring you to an article based on that word.
For example, if you were reading an article and saw the word “English” in blue, and clicked it…it would take you to a whole another article about the English Language. It’s extremely fast-paced and dynamic and can get you the information you need in a hurry.
Downsides to Wikipedia?
Well, since anyone can edit it, it can contain inaccurate, or even intentionally false information. It can also contain bias articles. This is a major concern for scholars who want to ensure the most accurate information is presented.
In Conclusion
As a matter of full disclosure, I should admit I am pro Wikipedia. Despite its flaws, it is extremely well regulated and 99% of the time, the truth wins out. Even a traditional print Encyclopedia can be wrong or contain bias…but unlike Wikipedia, it cannot be regulated and rewritten as quickly when someone spots these errors. I have found that most people who are against Wikipedia do not use or understand the regulatory mechanism behind it. They create straw-men because they simply don’t understand this new, exciting medium. But, that’s just my two-cents.
Until next time…
