What is wikipedia?
Well as stated by Bruns (2008) in his lecture series Wikipedia is the, "collaboratively edited online encyclopaedia, in hundreds of languages, [an entity that] anyone can edit... with content creation process organised ad hoc by contributors". I think that the concept of Wikipedia is a marvellous one indeed. It provides the opportunity for online collaboration and the building of a peer reviewed based encyclopaedia. For it is like an independent channel, one that is free from commercial constraints and potential liberal biases.
With no major figurehead to pressure the authors of the entries and objectivity ensured by the process peer review Wikipedia offers a great channel for an independent look at matters which impacts us. Previously I have partaken in a university subject that called for the collaboration and creation of several Wikipedia like entries in an online environment and found the process to be quite enjoyable. The fact that you can add your own personal modifications to existing entries and create new entries yourself, is a process to which I found gave me great satisfaction.
The Wikipedia genre has grown substantially and offers users of the site a multitude of differing languages to select. This adds to unit discussion on the nature of the convergence of cultural boundaries, with the internet and sites such as Wikipedia a platform to transcend such barriers. This provides users with the opportunity to break down geographical constraints and feel free to publish their ideas in a peer orientated environment. Thus also leading on to further unit content such as online communities and social networking.
References
Bruns, A. (2008). KCB201 Week 11 Slidecast: Wikipedia http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/ (accessed May 10, 2008)
1 comment:
It’s interesting to see that you were involved in a subject that encouraged student wiki participation, as I am currently completing a subject of the same nature, which I also enjoy. (I’m not referring to the final KCB201 Wiki assessment… it’s a different one…)
I was surprised to see you speak of Wikipedia so highly. I agree that it is a fantastic way to contribute and share knowledge online. It’s also a good example of Brun’s term produsage –which refers to a hybrid of production and usage; and basically applies to anything that the end user provides. Regardless, Wikipedia is sually not spoken about so favourably. What I mean is, everybody seems to surf around on it as a guilty pleasure, or to find basic definition of terms. Simply mentioning it usually provokes a “oh but it might not be credible” type response. It’s odd that we are so quick to disregard the information, considering what a large user-led environment it is. Although the footnoting might leave something to be desired, there are legions of dedicated volunteers that tend to have collective expertise in several different areas.
References:
Bruns, A. 2008. Produsage: Towards a Broader Framework for User-Led Content Creation. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_29175_1 (accessed April 22, 2008).
Goodin, D. 2005. USAToday.com: 'Nature': Wikipedia is accurate http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-12-14-nature-wiki_x.htm (accessed May 16, 2008)
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