I have always been a staunch defender of Wikipedia's capacity to inform. Safeguards are built into the system by requiring editors (in this case, anyone with an internet connection and a will to edit) to have their username or their IP address logged. A "talk" page is then opened under this ID and anyone who has dissenting opinions on the subject matter edited or entered can bring discrepancies to light. Contributors who fail to meet honest standards are, for the most part, shouted out of the system, or ignored. The open lines of communication, and streamlined accessibility, are things that help to make Wikipedia's articles worthwhile and helpful.
I found it interesting to note that at the time of this article being written, Wikipedia had 5 people on staff. Visiting the website today I found a message from the founder, Jimmy Wales, at the top of the site. In his address to the Wikipedia user base, he mentioned that the company now has 73 staff, and a veritable host of volunteers. He says, "Wikipedia is something special. It is like a library or a public park. It is like a temple for the mind. It is a place we can all go to think, to learn, to share our knowledge with others." This is encouraging considering the overbearing add coverage we find in almost every other corner of the internet. Wales knew exactly what he was trying to achieve when he set out to create and grow Wikipedia. With "billions of page views" each month, Wales could easily have made a fortune with his online encyclopedia, but, thankfully, he had a higher objective in mind.
You can find his address here: http://tinyurl.com/7gxnno3
Wikipedia's growth has been an interesting one to see, and I'm happy that it has expanded so much from the five member staff that it had when the article was written. The more people that are on board with Wikipedia the more helpful and efficent it can truly be. I think the site is a great overview of a topic, because it's basically like sparknotes but for everything in the world and not just books. It always provides a good overview of a subject, along with enough detail to give a general understanding of whatever topic I'm looking up and the list of references is always a great place to check when more research is required.
ReplyDelete