WikipediaLabels: wiki, inforamtion, webReviewer: Andrew Date: 9/10/2006 Rating: 4/5 Wikipedia is a mixed bag of bones – how is this for a paradox? I do not trust its accuracy but more often than not I go there for information. Why? I'll head to Wikipedia first because it has a wealth of information. If I want to know about killer bees, Andrew Regan, microwaves or holiday companies then I can be certain that the wikipedia has something – anything at all – about the subject. I then trust myself to sanity check the information before accepting it as fact. As an Edinburgh user Wikipedia does well on that front. It's impartial. The usual American bias seems less strong here and entirely due to the international moderation. That said; Wikipedia is strict about only allowing significant companies and brands to have their own information page. The chances of being able to find Yellow Page style information on local businesses are slim. Wikipedia sets out to be the free encyclopaedia and that is a less lofty ambition than Google's desire to index all the world's information but it also limits the site's scope. There is another angle to Wikipedia and that's that of the contributor. It is very easy to get frustrated here. Even if you write well and write a lengthy page on significant topic you can expect to get moderated. Even if you write within the guidelines and stay clear of wiki taboos you will be moderated. That is how wikis work, after all, communal moderation. If you do not feel part of the community, though, the moderation can appear as pedantic policing. It is certainly also true to say that some community members have a higher status in the communal eye and battle to maintain this. These battles can lead to draconian decisions or edits. Here is the second paradox – that the moderation can seem too zealous even as the integrity of the information is a concern. Let's put the paradoxes aside. The core truth of Wikipedia is that it is a helpful resource for anyone in Edinburgh with an internet connection and the need to read up about something. |