Wikipedia’s Honeymoon Is Over
Scott Baradell is right, the brouhaha surrounding Wikipedia and its open editing policy is just beginning.
So what’s in store for the future? A proliferation of public, but qualification-driven specialty wikis such as Cornell Legal Information Institute’s Wex? Or specialized open content wikis such as WikiMD that post disclaimers disavowing the validity of any of their content?
Update: Dave Cormier makes a good argument for why Wikipedia, despite its flaws, serves an important purpose.
interesting… thanks for the link to the other article. I think you’re wrong however. The fact that you are writing about wikipedia, and that it’s all over the news, means that the honeymoon is just starting. People who use wikipedia regularly (and certainly those of us who teach people how to use it) have always know not to believe it. Now millions more people know about it. And now they know not to believe it. It’s a quick, horizontal reference. Not a deep reference. The world needs both.
Dave, I agree with you that Wikipedia has its place. And, as an example of a collaborative online tool, I feel it’s tremendously valuable. Glad you’re teaching today’s kids how to be critical thinkers.
Thanks for the kind words… i hope that it’s at least partially true(the critical thinking thing). I’m interested in your comments about professional wikis as well. I’m trying to develop one now… and running into problems. so much to think about, so little time.
cheers. dave.