Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Changes in store for Wikipedia?
Changes in store for Wikipedia?
Last week I read an item about Adam Curry, aka the "podfather," making some rather self-aggrandizing changes to Wikipedia's entry on podcasting. Apparently he's not the only one gaming the system, as the entry on John Seigenthaler actually claimed he was implicated in the assassination of Robert Kennedy! In light of these issues, BetaNews reports Wikipedia may have to change some of the way it works. While normally the system has a sort of checks-and-balances operation by way of the numerous contributors, lately the size and depth of articles might have become too much. Also, items like Seigenthaler's entry can get buried among the newer entries. Either way, it seems to me a prudent move to somehow balance the open nature of a wiki against the veracity of entries. Some balk at a registration system, but I think it's the only way to make sure Wikipedia stays relevant and useful.
Filed under: Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Internet, Web services
Last week I read an item about Adam Curry, aka the "podfather," making some rather self-aggrandizing changes to Wikipedia's entry on podcasting. Apparently he's not the only one gaming the system, as the entry on John Seigenthaler actually claimed he was implicated in the assassination of Robert Kennedy! In light of these issues, BetaNews reports Wikipedia may have to change some of the way it works. While normally the system has a sort of checks-and-balances operation by way of the numerous contributors, lately the size and depth of articles might have become too much. Also, items like Seigenthaler's entry can get buried among the newer entries. Either way, it seems to me a prudent move to somehow balance the open nature of a wiki against the veracity of entries. Some balk at a registration system, but I think it's the only way to make sure Wikipedia stays relevant and useful.[via Download Squad]
