Every so often, Wikipedia asks for money. Every so often, I give them some. Wikipedia has become essential to my life. When I want to quickly know the basics about something, I go to Wikipedia and find out.<\/p>\n
Wikipedia is flawed. It gets things wrong. And a lot of the time, a couple facts sort of right.<\/p>\n
But we know. That’s part of the deal. Wikipedia is not 100% right.<\/p>\n
Even so, it is better than nothing. What it gives us is more than it takes away.<\/p>\n
I was listening to an interview of Jimmy Wales, a co-founder of Wikipedia. He was talking about how it’s growing, and how it works.<\/p>\n
In his mind, the eco system of Wikipedia is all about the contributors. The contributors, working together to create the entries, and give the facts the most even hand.<\/p>\n
Wales says it’s because of the software. That, unlike on comment threads for regular websites, the Wikipedia entries can be openly edited, and then re-edited by anyone.<\/p>\n
The users are there collaborating. And when it is working at it’s best, they are being checks and balances to one another.<\/p>\n
Does it work at it’s best all of the time? No. No it does not.<\/p>\n
There are flame wars, and some bullying, and meanness and close-mindedness.<\/p>\n
But there is also, at the end, a growing Wikipedia. A public service.<\/p>\n
Jimmy Wales says the software serves this end.<\/p>\n
Software often has this effect. It solves a problem–such as serving information. But even if that problem is all the way solved (and it never is completely solved), another problem pops up.<\/p>\n
That burr in the shoe is replaced with a pebble.<\/p>\n
It’s like a terrible riddle. If a solution solved 90% of a problem you are suffering, but introduced a new problem that would take up 50% of the resources you were trying to conserve, is it a real solution?<\/p>\n
So many solutions are exactly like that. Inconclusive, leaving us slightly better off but still unsatisfied.<\/p>\n
Two steps forward, one step back and three steps sideways.<\/p>\n
Wait, what? Where am I again?<\/p>\n
It’s the new progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every so often, Wikipedia asks for money. Every so often, I give them some. Wikipedia has become essential to my life. When I want to quickly know the basics about something, I go to Wikipedia and find out. Wikipedia is … Continue reading