[Web4lib] Wikipedia vs Britannica

[Lars Aronsson]

One person who is no longer on this list wrote:

> What the Wikipedia newbie may not understand is that Wikipedia 
> [...] enforce their guidelines in some rather arbitrary and 
> roughshod ways. Thus, if you know something about a 
> topic--indeed, if you are publishing a book on that subject--you 
> will find your edits "reverted" and labeled as vandalism.

I tried to read up on what his own Wikipedia controversy was 
about, and I cannot say I understood everything.  And I don't 
share the view that these conflicts are entirely Wikipedia's 
problem.  I tend to see things from Wikipedia's angle and then 
it's the vandals' problem that they get blocked, while Wikipedia's 
problems would continue if they weren't blocked.

But I do share the analysis that many Wikipedia newbies may not 
understand how Wikipedia works.  And this is a problem when 
outside entities, such as Nature, encourage people to contribute.  

In August this year a Norwegian librarian suggested on the mailing 
list Biblioteknorge to collect funny literary blunders (such as 
Shakespeare's mentioning of the "coast of Bohemia") on a page of 
the Norwegian Wikipedia, only to see the new page immediately 
suggested for deletion because it wasn't encyclopedic in 
character.  Perhaps it was a good lesson that this surprise 
happened in front of so many eyes.

What if a teacher suggests to students that they should contribute 
to Wikipedia, and the students make mistakes and are perceived as 
vandals?  If teachers want to take the class to a library or a 
museum, they can make an appointment first, but at Wikipedia there 
is nobody with whom you can make this kind of appointment in 
advance.  There is no schedule for what should happen tomorrow.  
Everything is now.  It doesn't have to stay that way for ever, but 
right now I don't know of any way to deal with newbies who come in 
through referral.

I know librarians can give advice on how to use (or not to use) 
Wikipedia, as a reader.  But what do you tell people who want to 
contribute?  Does that ever happen?  How should it work?

If you enter Wikipedia as a writer, your toes will be stepped on.  
If they are already sore, you need to be extremely careful.  A 
good rule might be to *avoid* editing topics where you have strong 
feelings, such as the entry about yourself (if there is one).  
Write about stuff you know, but where you can afford to admit that 
you were wrong.


-- 
  Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
  Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se