Wikimoneya

[tmcg]

The more I look around Wikipedia, the cooler I think it is, for both its philosophy and its utility.

A lot of other people apparently think so, too. The Wikimedia Foundation is looking for donations to fund the acquisition of new hardware to handle the load.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

There's been some really fascinating discussion recently around the blogosphere about Wikipedia vs expert-driven resources which I so want to respond to but haven't had enough time to get my head around the things I want to say. In general, though, I'll say that one person is never as smart as a bunch of people and a small bunch of people is never as smart as a really large bunch of people. And 'authority' is never as smart as it thinks it is.

One interesting thing from 'The Wisdom of Crowds' (and yes, I am wandering off on a tangent now) is that at least one study has shown that when groups were divided up into a bunch of smart people, a bunch of not-so-smart people, and a bunch of smart and not-so-smart people mixed together that the smart and not-so-smart people mixed together were smarter as a group and came up with better solutions to problems than the group of smart people. (and I'm sure this has something to do with Wikipedia because I thought of it when I was writing about Wikipedia--so there :-)

Deb

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

I think that a lot in that book probably applies to Wikipedia, as to any group effort or publically/socially created thing. I liked the post in your blog about the book, and I might pick up a copy.

A piece about Wikipedia aired on NPR a couple of days after I noticed and posted about the request for donations. I found it intensely irritating, and had to ran to my breakfast companion for a good five minutes afterward. The piece missed capturing the spirit of the endeavor and gave too much weight to the expert-resources people they quoted poo-pooing it. Or so it felt to me while I was listening.

[fastfwd.livejournal.com]

I love Wikipedia. I think of it as a combination of hard data and factual cyber-folklore (if that makes any sense). If I get some extra pocket money this month, they can have it.:)

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

One of the things I like most about it is that if you find something and go "Hey, that's not right!," the answer is "Well, make it right, then." I like the idea of the end user having some responsibility for the quality of the resource.

[larryhammer]

It's fun grazing on Wikipedia entries on subjects you know. Sometimes they're spot-on, sometimes ... well, not so. Usually not wrong as such, but distort by omission or insufficient subtlty.

---L.

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

I also like getting the entire article without having to subscribe or buy a CD. The more I use it the more I feel I ought to contribute with payment in kind.

[windowscreen.livejournal.com]

HI!
Like my new icon?

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

It's great! Is it from one I've seen? I don't quite recognize the character.

[windowscreen.livejournal.com]

Nope! This dude(yes, it's a boy) is just a random pic I adopted .
Isn't he adorable? The whole pic is him sitting on the floor smoking and it says, "Don't leave me, 'cause I've got a passion for you."

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

He is quite gorgeous. And now I see what the ashtray is! I couldn't figure it out. It looked like a bracelet that fell off his arm, or a Frisbee he dropped, or something. :)