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Wikipedia Defended

Entry 491, on 2007-03-10 at 15:10:44 (Rating 2, Computers)

If I had to give up one web site which would would I miss the most? As the title of this blog entry suggests, I think it would be Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which in my opinion is the most useful site on the Internet.

Recently there have been a few incidents which have challenged the accuracy and neutrality of Wikipedia's information, and I admit that the wiki model they use is susceptible to problems of this sort. But the disadvantages of the system shouldn't disguise the advantages, which are obvious, primarily the huge range of topics covered, and the detail available for many of them.

I have used the web for many years, so I am used to having to be selective about, and suspicious of any information I find there. Wikipedia is like a mini Internet, where the information is far better than a many other parts of the 'net, but still in need of a certain amount of skeptical examination. This isn't really a serious criticism because I am skeptical of every source of information, including the mainstream media.

I know that some of the criticism of Wikipedia is justified, but there are also people who just don't understand the medium and there are others who have commercial interests in competing sources, such as Britannica. So I will continue to use Wikipedia as my primary source of information, and check sources and alternatives when I need to.

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