Wikipedia?
83- Shealy Healy
- 74 posts
- Joined: 2 months ago
- Hubs: 18
- Fans: 43
What do you think of Wikipedia?
97- thranax
- 2040 posts
- Joined: 18 months ago
- Hubs: 43
- Fans: 299
I think it is a great source for information and will remain successful.
~thranax~
87- Jenny-Anne
- 250 posts
- Joined: 2 months ago
- Hubs: 4
- Fans: 22
I find it really convenient for quick references - just to get a brief definition.
I use it as a start for all of my writing research. I say as a "start", because I never use it as a primary reference. I do take everything with a grain of salt, and follow up on the references used in each entry.
It's also a useful place to look up answers to questions my 6 year old asks me, because he doesn't really care about citing sources yet.
76- TV Mount Guy
- 2 posts
- Joined: 4 weeks ago
- Hubs: 2
- Fans: 2
I'll chime in and agree that it's a good source of quick info to many questions. If you are doing real research, wiki should just give a guide of other sources to look into, but double check everything.
90- prettydarkhorse
- 1962 posts
- Joined: 6 weeks ago
- Hubs: 82
- Fans: 169
it is a good secondary source for initially defining terms but not as a primary source for your research and actual writing
It is one of my primary sources for research for school and other purposes. A lot of people say that since people can post whatever they want to, the information is wrong. However, this is false because each article you write or add on to is previewed and accepted by the wiki staff and their automated system. They can undo any changes that someone has erratically posted. I love using wikipedia and I will never stop using it.
78- awirelessbusiness
- 17 posts
- Joined: 2 weeks ago
- Hubs: 2
- Fans: 0
Shealy Healy wrote:
What do you think of Wikipedia?
It comes up during searches on most engines, so I look at the results, but since anyone can pretty much write whatever they want some things may not be quite factual. It is an interesting and useful concept businesses are embracing for internal use.
- 78
- awirelessbusiness
- 17 posts
- Joined: 2 weeks ago
- Hubs: 2
- Fans: 0
Shealy Healy wrote:
What do you think of Wikipedia?
It comes up during searches on most engines, so I look at the results, but since anyone can pretty much write whatever they want some things may not be quite factual. It is an interesting and useful concept businesses are embracing for internal use.
79- Frugal Fanny
- 30 posts
- Joined: 2 weeks ago
- Hubs: 12
- Fans: 6
Wikipedia is a great quick-reference resource, BUT....you have to remember that the articles are composed and submitted by average Joe Reader. I have found that sometimes you need to double-check the information, as it can sometimes be opinion-biased.
Also, even though I like it for quick look-ups....I have heard that a lot of schools here (western canada) won't take it as a valid research tool on papers.Frugal Fanny wrote:
I have found that sometimes you need to double-check the information, as it can sometimes be opinion-biased.
Ah, so it's like the news media, then. Got it.
96- darkside
- 4529 posts
- Joined: 3 years ago
- Hubs: 208
- Fans: 1074
Frugal Fanny wrote:
Also, even though I like it for quick look-ups....I have heard that a lot of schools here (western canada) won't take it as a valid research tool on papers.
Thank goodness for that.
It's good to get the gist of a topic by skimming through a wikipedia article. Then using the broad overview to have a better understanding when more research takes place.
93- lrohner
- 2286 posts
- Joined: 7 months ago
- Hubs: 32
- Fans: 251
I've found some errors in Wikipedia, so I'm not a big fan. I actually prefer WiseGeek. Their overviews are spot on and much shorter than Wikipedia. I write for Demand Studios, and Wikipedia is on their blacklist of sites that we cannot reference or cite.
96- Lady_E
- 1439 posts
- Joined: 6 months ago
- Hubs: 74
- Fans: 359
lrohner wrote:
I've found some errors in Wikipedia, so I'm not a big fan. I actually prefer WiseGeek. Their overviews are spot on and much shorter than Wikipedia. I write for Demand Studios, and Wikipedia is on their blacklist of sites that we cannot reference or cite.
Thats worrying - I find Wiki very useful and thought their info was well up-to-date. Will check out WiseGeek.
Thanks
skristoff wrote:
I use it as a start for all of my writing research. I say as a "start", because I never use it as a primary reference. I do take everything with a grain of salt, and follow up on the references used in each entry.
It's also a useful place to look up answers to questions my 6 year old asks me, because he doesn't really care about citing sources yet.It is very true, kid only needs a reasonable answer. However, you should make sure it is not too far from the fact because your kid may find a correct one later. In that case he will not be you "fan" nay more!
100- relache
- 2353 posts
- Joined: 3 years ago
- Hubs: 161
- Fans: 1412
Wikipedia quality can vary widely. Sometimes it's very informative and sometimes it's downright inaccurate.
And many people using it for a reference can't tell the difference.
I like to see the cited sources on Wikipedia entries and go actually read those.lrohner wrote:
I've found some errors in Wikipedia, so I'm not a big fan. I actually prefer WiseGeek. Their overviews are spot on and much shorter than Wikipedia. I write for Demand Studios, and Wikipedia is on their blacklist of sites that we cannot reference or cite.
Is that because the contributions come from the general public?
Sue Adams wrote:
lrohner wrote:
I've found some errors in Wikipedia, so I'm not a big fan. I actually prefer WiseGeek. Their overviews are spot on and much shorter than Wikipedia. I write for Demand Studios, and Wikipedia is on their blacklist of sites that we cannot reference or cite.
Is that because the contributions come from the general public?
I believe that Wikipedia is blacklisted as a source for Demand articles (as well as for other information portals) because it is considered a competitor.
- media.geek
- 2 posts
- Joined: 6 days ago
- Hubs: 0
- Fans: 0
be careful when using wikipedia as some information is wrong, anyone can post information about certain subjects that isn't always write. x
- 93
- lrohner
- 2286 posts
- Joined: 7 months ago
- Hubs: 32
- Fans: 251
media.geek wrote:
be careful when using wikipedia as some information is wrong, anyone can post information about certain subjects that isn't always write. x
Ditto, ditto and ditto. Wikipedia may be spot on in some cases, and well off the mark in others.
