Know it allends with a simple question: your truth or mine? The question supports my belief that wikipedia is a place not for the last word on a subject, but rather for the first word. Wikipedia is a wonderful example of something which has come to be known as crowd sourcing. Rather than relying on a small group of individuals to make decisions, a given project is opened to a larger group with a potentially greater ability to accomplish a given task.
Most people when discussing wikipedia seem to focus primarily on its accuracy and ability to transmit information effectively, and correctly. However, I think that discussion is narrow and does not foster much genuine insight. What is more promising about wikipedia is the commentary it has allowed surrounding democracy. It began with somewhat of an anti-authority mentality, and seemed to favor a system more closely related to anarchy. It is interesting that even given the great level of success, a need eventually arose for not only informal guidelines, but an eventual acquiescence to more explicit rules. For me this article was a gentle reminder that individual liberty functions best within explicitly defined parameters. Self-governance is the beginning of freedom.
I used to be hard on Wikipedia myself, simply because my professors would drive home that it was not a credible source of info. But as you stated, Wikipedia can be a jumping off point, not the Father, the Son AND the Holy Spirit.As I mentioned in my own blog response, I now use it as a lead to other sources that would be deemed credible.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting comparison, David, using Wikipedia vs. government. While I don't promote anarchy, I hope Wikipedia doesn't become so limited by "explicit rules" that it ceases to function at all (like our national government seems to be doing at the moment). After all, "SELF-governance is the beginning of freedom!"
ReplyDeleteAlthough most people would argue that Wikipedia is a completely unreliable resource, you make an excellent point - it's a great place to START your research. As we mentioned in class, there's nothing wrong with using Wikipedia to help you find sources. For the most part, they're cited at the bottom of the article, and while the information listed in the article itself may not be completely accurate, you can use the sources it cites.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree entirely. I mean yea the guidelines are a little... loose, I guess would be the best way to word it, but the freedom of being able to include your knowledge into something that was not there before is great.
ReplyDeleteThe truth about it being a great place to start your research is not completely true. You DO have to have an idea about what you are looking for and some keywords to start looking. So maybe its not the first or second step but its up there.