Do You Wikipedia?

1 04 2008

“Wikipedia is the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

“Wikipedia is completely unreliable and should be kept far away from students.”

slicedBreadThis pretty much sums up the two extremes of thought regarding Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. I will try to write this post without exposing my own bias on the subject. (Can you see my poker face?)

Just the facts

  • Wikipedia began in March 2000.
  • As of March 2008, it has approximately 10 million articles in 253 languages. (For purposes of comparison, the 2007 Encyclopedia Britannica has 65,700 articles.)
  • Registered Wikipedia users can create new articles, but anyone can edit existing articles (e.g. they can be edited anonymously).
  • Wikipedia uses vandal-repair bots to scan the site and to repair malicious changes to entries, but it also relies on its community of people, Wikipedians, to do the same.

The Controversy

  • Since there is no peer-review process to validate the information, many people simply stay away from Wikipedia, viewing the site as unreliable.
  • Michael Gorman, the controversial past-president of the American Library Association, condemned Wikipedia (and Google), stating that academics who endorse the use of Wikipedia are “the intel­lectual equivalent of a dietician who recommends a steady diet of Big Macs with everything.”
  • Wikipedia is becoming a common sources for journalists, academics, lawyers, and students.

Just for Laughs

  • The Onion – the satirical print and online newspaper (if you haven’t read it, you are missing a weekly chortle) – published an article titled, Wikipedia Celebrates 750 Years of American Independence.
  • Michael Scott of the TV show The Office (if you don’t watch The Office, you are missing a prolonged weekly chortle) says, Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information.

So how do you deal with Wikipedia? I’d like to know what you think and if you use it either on a personal level or for research and work.

[Oh, BTW, when I wrote the phrase "since sliced bread" above, it got me wondering where that phrase came from. According to Wikipedia, this phrase became popular when Wonder Bread first mass-marketed sliced bread in the 1930s, touting their innovation.]


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Categories : Online Resources, The Office, The Onion, Wikipedia, Wonder Bread