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One of the many reasons Wiki isn't worth a crap:

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  • One of the many reasons Wiki isn't worth a crap:

    Linkydink.

    Fake professor in Wikipedia storm

    Volunteers write and edit the site's thousands of articles
    Internet site Wikipedia has been hit by controversy after the disclosure that a prominent editor had assumed a false identity complete with fake PhD.
    The editor, known as Essjay, had described himself as a professor of religion at a private university.

    But he was in fact Ryan Jordan, 24, a college student from Kentucky who used texts such as Catholicism for Dummies. He has now retired from the site.
    I hate Wiki and I only quote from it reluctantly, as a true last resort. But I've never respected it or tusted it, and when someone uses it in the discussion I ignore it. The above is illustrative of why.

    -dale

  • #2
    Originally posted by dalem View Post
    Linkydink.



    I hate Wiki and I only quote from it reluctantly, as a true last resort. But I've never respected it or tusted it, and when someone uses it in the discussion I ignore it. The above is illustrative of why.

    -dale

    I think it was a noble concept, but as usual the ignoble manage to ruin it.
    Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

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    • #3
      That is why I use wiki to get general knowledge, enough that I will be able to find and identify reliable sources. Personally I think its a useful tool, but is far from a reliable source itself.

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      • #4
        Wiki has its uses. It shouldn't be held as the gold standard of encyclopedic knowledge, but it's better than most.

        I use it as an easy resource on hard stats. Stuff that you can't dispute like the length of a tank or the wingspan of a fighter jet or the number of 737s sold.

        Opinions I will take with a grain of salt.
        "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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        • #5
          Go to any University in the world and you will find staff with made up qualifications, or doctoring their research to meet their pre-existing assumptions. Its just the way the world works. Wiki is good for general purpose and/or introductory level research. The same as any encyclopedia.
          "Just go home rednecks!" Me, 28/03/2007

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          • #6
            Most universities and encyclopedia editors have passed through at least one filter of respectability, and done it face-to-face with backgrounds checked too. Any idiot can Wiki, and the above shows that any idiot can help run Wiki.

            -dale

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            • #7
              The fact that any idiot can post is what makes it such a strong resource. Where else can you find an indepth explaination of all the Transformers series?

              It allows for debate when 'articles' are posted and alternate views to be expressed within the one subject. Few other resources have this capacity.
              Sure it's not perfect but it should not be dismissed as a worthwhile resource.
              "Just go home rednecks!" Me, 28/03/2007

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              • #8
                Originally posted by RadioM View Post
                The fact that any idiot can post is what makes it such a strong resource. Where else can you find an indepth explaination of all the Transformers series?

                It allows for debate when 'articles' are posted and alternate views to be expressed within the one subject. Few other resources have this capacity.
                Sure it's not perfect but it should not be dismissed as a worthwhile resource.
                All you're describing is a web forum. It's not a "pedia", it's a general forum.

                -dale

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                • #9
                  Wiki is a good reference tool.

                  Wiki also gives footnotes quoting authorities.

                  For debatable issues, it mentions the same to caution the one using it.

                  It is a noble cause and one should encourage such activities. Google, likewise is a great help. However, if one feels that it would produce a gem, always and every time, then one is expecting too much from an otherwise good tool!

                  Encyclopaedia Britannica is taken to be a reputed reference book. This reputation has been built over the ages. It is nearly sterling silver. Yet, it is said to have errors.

                  Wikipedia:Errors in the Encyclopædia Britannica that have been corrected in Wikipedia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

                  Therefore, nothing is infallible!


                  "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                  I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                  HAKUNA MATATA

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                  • #10
                    Except wiki has editors, forums do not.
                    Plus contentious articles in wiki are signposted as such, this does not happen on a forum.
                    "Just go home rednecks!" Me, 28/03/2007

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                    • #11
                      I wouldn't use it in a research paper, but for the purpose of online debates it's more than sufficient.

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                      • #12
                        Wiki is extremely useful for me. I always look at the footnotes to know the references from which they are quoting. If the article appears contentious, it is always flagged as not conforming to the standards of Wiki....
                        Seek Save Serve Medic

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                        • #13
                          Some material is reliable and written by intelligent people, some is written by morons. Take the good stuff and leave the rest.
                          "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes." G-Man

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                          • #14
                            If the information has references and/or sources which can be verified, the person(s) that write/edit the information become irrelevant.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Kansas Bear View Post
                              If the information has references and/or sources which can be verified, the person(s) that write/edit the information become irrelevant.
                              If one finds information in one place with references, then it is far better than wading through a whole lot of books to find the same thing.

                              Further, if information has reference and/ or sources which can be verified, and that information be deemed as irrelevant, then research papers that are published on a variety of subjects and discipline also should be irrelevant since they too contain references/ sources that back up a contention.

                              Even on this forum, links back up contentions that one makes. Or else, it becomes merely an opinion.


                              "Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

                              I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

                              HAKUNA MATATA

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