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16 years ago
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
summary of wikipedia discussion
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia. Its vast database allows users to find out information about pretty much anything. This is actually what draws some people to Wikipedia. It’s very convenient. What makes it better, is that it is free, and has edits from everyday people, not only people with PhD’s. This makes for an interesting discussion whether or not the information on Wikipedia is reliable. Some say that because it is monitored closely, the site does not contain insanely false information. But how true is this really? It appears many times, that there is false information on the site that stays there for a long time! Is this a basis for not trusting the content of the site? A lot of people say yes. Note that the original goal of Wikipedia was to have a free site where ordinary people can write about things they know about, so in that light, Wikipedia has really accomplished its goal. Wikipedia’s ‘rival’ is Encyclopedia Britannica, which was written by people who have a lot of knowledge in the subject that they are writing about, and therefore the information is more reliable. Problem is that Encyclopedia Britannica does not cover as many topics as Wikipedia does because it is limited by size (that’s because it is printed). So we still don’t know whether or not Wikipedia is really reliable.
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About a year ago was when I found out that Wikipedia wasn't a true encyclopedia. I didn't know people could edit and post information. I used Wikipedia for essays or assignments. I've never got a essay back saying that I used false information. I guess I was lucky. I think Wikipedia is good for an overall summary to read about a topic of interest. It is easy to read but people must confirm facts with other sources. I think overall there are more true facts than false facts on Wikipedia. Still it is very important to double check the facts.
Wikipedia may not be 100 percent accurate but in over 2 years of using the site I have yet to come across information that was obviously false. The site it is constantly being checked by moderators and faulty edits are usually removed quickly. Its massive amount of information, ease of use, and the fact that it is free make up for the fact that every once in a while you may across a fabrication.
Wikipedia might not have all their facts right but it summarizes the important facts. I use Wikipedia when I just need a brief summary about a country, famous person, etc. I also like how the fact that the site has a listing of the topics that are found in the passage. It makes it more organized and easier for the readers.
I use Wikipedia more as a summary page because it gets all the main points across. And as controversial its accuracy and reliability are, for the most part, the information on it is true. They do have people monitoring the site that do correct any errors. But there are some things that don't get changed right away but you can't blame them. They can't possibly be checking every single page every day.
I too , actually just found out in our class that Wikipedia can be edited by practically anyone writing false facts about anything. I used Wikipedia constantly for reports and luckily never got penalized for it. Now i know its not 100% accurate but is being constantly checked by moderates. I like Wikipedia because it is clearly organized and easy to follow.
I have used wikipedia many times for school reports. It can be very helpful aslong as it is backed up with other sources. I think the vast majority of the information on wikipedia today is legit. Wikipedia can be a great source of information on tpoics that you cant find information on in other places. Alot of times it is the only place to find information on a less popular topic.
Wikipedia is not accurate, it is people who paste their opinions on a subject, and whether or not they know about it, it is biased.
Here is a statement on wikipedia that is blatantly false: The 55 delegates who attended the United States Constitutional Convention represented a cross-section of 18th century American leadership. (Founding Fathers of the US). In reality George Washington is one of the 100 richest men in history according to forbes, and all but 1 of the founding fathers owned over 4 slaves, the average southern planter at this time owned 3.
Since many years ago, I started to use Wikipedia until now. I like use it to find some information for the school report or other else. It helps me a lot when I just came to America. Many topics information have many language translations in Wikipedia. When I didn’t understand what the teacher was talking about, I always go to wiki, type the topic in the search box, and then I can the Chinese information to compare with the English one. It helps me a lot to study and review by myself. But in my senior year of high school, the teacher who teaches the English research class never let us to use Wikipedia any more. Since that time, I knew that anyone who has the account can edit the information in Wikipedia. So now when I want to find information through Wikipedia, I also will go to other websites to get a double check. Even though Wikipedia still has many problems, but I still like to use it cause its convenience.
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