The Wiki people
Who writes Wikipedia? All sorts of folks from all over, is what I gather. I don't write those entries, but I sure do read them, and link the heck out of them. Pretty amazing how much authority they have gained in such a short time.
Anyway, a group of Oregonians who have been shepherding Oregon-related content into the Wiki system have started their own blog. So if you're ready to go meta-Wiki, there you are.
| Posted at 9:00 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (8)
Thanks for the kind words, Jack!
Posted by Pete Forsyth | May 26, 2008 9:24 PM
I don't trust wikis anymore.
There has been several controversies about people writing factual information with verifiable sources only to have their facts deleted because they don't agree with the opinions of the moderators.
Posted by Anthony | May 26, 2008 10:01 PM
My Wiki trust level has not changed much. I've always approached them with a degree of skepticism, and still do. They're quite helpful, for what they are worth.
Posted by Jack Bog | May 26, 2008 10:03 PM
Anthony- Wiki is just a kind of software (although there is a certain ethos that tends to follow wikis around). There's really no reason you SHOULD trust something that's on a wiki (any more than you should trust something written on paper, or carved into a marble tablet.)
At Wikipedia, we have lots of policies and guidelines that, when followed, tend to lead to pretty good articles. When I'm first evaluating a Wikipedia article, one of the first things I'll do is look at the References section, to get a sense of how much effort has been put into citing the facts presented.
Anyway -- I spend a ton of time working on Wikipedia, but I would never tell you to trust its accuracy. It varies too much from one article to the next. Most Wikipedia editors share my view. As with any other source, it's important to do a little critical thinking about the quality of what you're reading.
Maybe I'll do a more detailed post on this topic in the future -- I'm sure it's something many people would be interested in.
Posted by Pete Forsyth | May 27, 2008 12:45 AM
At Wikipedia, we have lots of policies and guidelines that, when followed, tend to lead to pretty good articles.
Pete, based on what you wrote, it sounds like you're an employee of the Wikimedia Foundation. is that true, or are you a content contributor?
Posted by ecohuman.com | May 27, 2008 12:24 PM
Oh, definitely not -- but thanks for the compliment!
But for the most part, "we" the volunteer community write the policies and guidelines -- not the Foundation. (There are a few exceptions, I think, where legal liability comes in.)
Maybe that helps explain why a mere volunteer would refer to them as "our" policies?
Posted by Pete Forsyth | May 27, 2008 1:04 PM
i like the Wikimedia model. using a wide volunteer base has had the surprising effect of raising the quality of content. not consistently, but generally, overall.
Posted by ecohuman.com | May 27, 2008 1:21 PM
Jack, this post brought us over 100 hits in our first day or so, which was absolutely instrumental in establishing ourselves quickly in the blogosphere...the response in general has been great, and your link was by far the biggest part of that equation.
So big, warm wiki thanks to you!
-Pete
Posted by Pete Forsyth | May 30, 2008 6:15 PM