An alternative news and ideas channel on art, science, culture, politics and the environment, by freelance journalist, magazine editor and author John May.
Friday, January 13, 2006
The Wikipedia Debate
Anyone with an interest in the history of encyclopaedias cannot fail to be interested in the current debate regarding the progress of Wikipedia - the online interactive encyclopaedia.
First came 'The Faith-Based Encyclopedia' by Robert McHenry, a critical essay from a former editor of 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', which challenged the value of Wikipedia's organic editing process, claimed this was a flawed way to reach a highly accurate article.
See: http://www.techcentralstation.com/111504A.html
This was followed by an analysis published in Nature which examined a wide range of articles from both Britannica and Wikipedia and found their accuracy levels were quite similar.
See: http://www.nature.com/news/2005/051212/full/438900a.html
These and other issues are expertly reviewed in an article in Village Voice
See: http://villagevoice.com/arts/0602,aviv,71632,12.html
This subject has also been discussed at The Institute of Flaneurology to whom I am grateful for the references.
UPDATE: 'Comedy of Errors hits the world of Wikipedia' [Sunday Times]
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