Wikipedia
Posted by Stuart at 08:45 AM on August 27, 2004Every now and then I find an Internet site that blows my mind. The site (or sites) for this week are all part of the Wikipedia family. I have been a regular user of Wikipedia -- the Internet's free encylopedia -- for some time. It is a fantastic resource that I highly recommend.
The coolest part about Wikipedia is that anyone (and I mean anyone and everyone) has the right to edit its content. Think about that for a minute. If you know a lot about some subject, you just go to Wikipedia and write the article for the world to see. Likewise, if you see an article that you don't agree with, you can change it! It's a radical concept, and apparently a wildly successful one. The homepage today boasts that there are 334,501 articles written. Wow.
Last week I was looking through the Wikipedia pages, trying to learn more about how it actually works. That is when I discovered there are several "Wikimedia" projects that are very cool.
For example, there is now a Wiki Travel website. So instead of spending a lot of money on Lonely Planet books or spending hours researching destinations on the web, you can go to one source for tons of free information. I think I will print out a few pages on Helsinki and Vienna for my upcoming trip.
And again, the coolest part is that anyone (even I) can create and edit pages on this website. Maybe I have some tips on things to do in Bangkok or want to add to the Thai Phrasebook. (Actually, I did edit this page a little bit. It was so much fun, I'm afraid it might become addictive!)
Another cool editable Wiki site is the Wiki Books site. Basically, the idea is to create free, open-source textbooks. Makes sense to me! As I sit here and plan to teach my classes, in the back of my mind I am thinking "How many textbooks does the world need for Introduction to Computers? How many different ways can you explain how to print a document?" It just seems to me that there is basic knowledge that everyone should have free and open access to. There is no need for a student to buy a $100 textbook to tell them how to print or send an email. Perhaps I can contribute to some of these books as well.
Anyway, long post here for a little Wiki-Evangelism. Check it out!
yeah i'm also a wikipediaholic... it's really amazing the stuff you find in there and one can really get lost for hours following all of the links.
thanks for the travel site info- looks like it has potential.
:pat on the back: for thinking outside of the damn pairng texts! yay stuart, the koolest ajarn ever! its funny how professors say they're always looking into cheaper books, but the ratio of how many actually list the cheaper books (and where to get them) versus those that don't isn't in favor of the student (in new york city colleges anyway).
-J.