« Second Life | Main | Google Custom Search for Simmons GSLIS »

Wiki as it is

:Why Citizendium is less interesting than Wikipedia to me.
[Original article: Library Stuff, "Wikipedia and the Trust Factor.”]

On Oct. 17, Larry Sanger, one of the founders of Wikipedia, announced the launch of Citizendium, a "citizens' compendium of everything," with the aim of creating a not only enourmous and free—which Wikipedia has become—but also reliable encyclopedia on the web. The Citizendium project homepage states that its plan is to combine public participation with expert guidance.

But what was exactly the problem of Wikipedia? For readers like me, Library Stuff introduces an article “Wikipedia and the Trust Factor,” which seems to provide plenty of answers to that question. According to this article, serious problems in Wikipedia include the following:

    * Disproportionate emphasis.
      (e.g. Negligible entries on Australian literature
       vs. plenty of information on other less important(?) topics).
    * Unreliable stuff that looks reliable.
    * Biased entries by fanatics or special interest groups.
    * Hoaxes (=fictitious or malicious articles).

Well, although I completely understand why those that this article points out as the shortcomings of Wikipedia, I have an objection. Not the objection that they are not the shortcomings of Wikipedia but the objection that Wikipedia is not Britannica. Britannica and Wikipedia serve different purposes. If I want a reliable and authoritative article about a topic, I go to Britannica. If I need a quick and easy look-up for a background about any topic, I go to Wikipedia. If I suspect that a topic that I am considering may not be grand enough to appear in Britannica, e.g. highlighers, I check Wikipedia.

Why should Wikipedia treat each entry in proportion to its importance? I would be disappointed if it does. I don’t expect Britannica to have detailed separate articles about Soju, Cheungju, Mirin, Sake, and all different types of rice wine around the world. But with Wikipedia, I wonder if someone interested in those things might have written something. And there they are, the articles about all different types of rice wine that you won’t find in Britannica. Yes, there may well be no detailed article about Australian literature in Wiki, but there will be many venerable sources other than Wiki for that.

I think that Wikipedia is great not as a general source of information per se but as a source of information that reflects the current interests and opinions of the mass. So, obviously, more concern for rice wine than for Australian literature. (The example of Australian literature is not mine but comes from the article, “Wikipedia and the Trust Factor.” I am sure Autrailian literature is very important.)

Wikipedia is an open-air market of folk-knowledge. Yes, there are hoaxes, biases, and unreliable stuff that looks reliable. But don’t we get occasionally duped and ripped off in an outdoor market? And yes, we haggle there. We don’t expect to find everything we want in an open-air market. We certainly don’t expect to find the guaranteed best-quality goods in an open-air market, either. But there are some interesting items to check out, and you can meet some interesting vendors whom you would not see at other places. You may not like the goods in the open-air market. But that is a whole different matter.

Comments

I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.

Not much on my mind. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me , but shrug. Whatever. I feel like a void.

I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.

I just don't have anything to say. Not that it matters. Eh. I've just been staying at home doing nothing, but I don't care. That's how it is.

Not much on my mind lately. My life's been completely boring these days. I've just been hanging out not getting anything done. So it goes.

I haven't been up to much these days. Today was a loss. Nothing seems important. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days.

Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I haven't been up to much these days. I just don't have much to say right now. I can't be bothered with anything , but whatever.

I feel like a complete blank, but I don't care. Pfft. I've pretty much been doing nothing worth mentioning.

Not much on my mind these days, but what can I say? It's not important. I just don't have much to say lately. I've just been letting everything pass me by recently, but eh.

I just don't have much to say recently. Such is life. I've basically been doing nothing. Basically nothing seems worth bothering with. Oh well.

I just don't have anything to say , but shrug. So it goes. Not much on my mind recently. I can't be bothered with anything recently.

I just don't have anything to say right now. I haven't been up to anything recently, but it's not important. I've just been sitting around waiting for something to happen, but shrug.

I haven't been up to anything today. I don't care. I've just been staying at home not getting anything done. Basically not much happening right now. Maybe tomorrow. I guess it doesn't bother me.

I can't be bothered with anything these days, but such is life. I don't care. So it goes. More or less nothing seems worth thinking about. I've just been hanging out waiting for something to happen, but that's how it is.

I haven't been up to much these days. Today was a loss. Nothing seems important. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days.

I've just been staying at home waiting for something to happen, but I don't care. Basically nothing seems worth thinking about. I can't be bothered with anything recently.

I've more or less been doing nothing worth mentioning, but eh. My life's been really bland today. I don't care. I've just been letting everything happen without me these days. That's how it is.

I haven't gotten anything done today. I feel like a fog, but what can I say? I've just been letting everything wash over me lately, not that it matters. Shrug.

I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.

I haven't been up to anything these days. So it goes. I can't be bothered with anything these days.

I just don't have much to say these days, but so it goes. Today was a total loss. I guess it doesn't bother me.

I'm glad I found your site! It's nice! Please visit my homepage too:

I'm glad I found your site! It's nice! Please visit my homepage too:

I like it! 2fd0c4d29e2dc0e29c14566b081fd326

hello! nice site, I like it!

hello! nice site, I like it!


Excellent site, added to favorites! http://wiki.kdenews.org/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?forumId=4&comments_parentId=549 >cheap levitra good luck

from poland with love

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

WOW, my fatcher boght a new computer for me today!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!




Good site!

If you want do delete your site from our spam bases - just email us with domain of your site:

abuse-here@inbox.ru

thank you!

Good site!

Good site!


Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!





Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!







Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!

Good site!