The World and Wikipedia ( First Blog )

     I'll admit I have used Wikipedia in high school to get a research paper done. However, Wikipedia has not been my first choice for background information, due to its "anyone can edit text feature". I have always gone to Google and searched a specific topic and no matter what I'm searching for, Wikipedia seems to have an article pertaining to it. It seems strange that Google always has links to Wikipedia top on its results list, but as stated in Andrew Dalby's The World and Wikipedia, "Wikipedia was the simplest way to ensure that the average Google results page look useful." ( pg 86) Yes Wikipedia is a very useful tool, but its users must realize that anyone can create or edit these articles and the information is not always correct. I feel that Wikipedia has the potential to be an immensely useful tool if everyone use it correctly, as a "circle of knowledge." ( pg 21 )
     Encyclopedias have their origins thousands of years ago, thanks to Gaius Plinius Secundus. Secundus made notes of everything and spent every moment possible writing it down. The evolution of encyclopedias took off from there, but the problems were always the same. It was extremely difficult to revise encyclopedias make them up to date. A significant feature was added to encyclopedias, the ability to write and edit articles in Nupedia's ( an online encyclopedia written by experts ) supplementary site. This supplementary site became Wikipedia and it has brought along its benefits and dangers along.
     Some Wikipedians "do alot of planting, while others prefer to pull a weed here and there." ( pg 52 ) These planters or editors create articles that hopefully benefit the circle of knowledge, but sadly that is not always the case. For example, John Seigenthaler was a man who, without knowing, had a wiki page. In this page, "he was thought to be involved in Kennedy's assassination." ( pg 58 ) John was outraged by these false accusations and tried to find the culprit, but on what counts can the culprit be charged with. Wikipedia like many other websites has brought drama along. In a weird turn of events, a wiki page was created for the hoaxer and labeled 'Wikipedia hoaxer.' Wikipedia itself turned into a medium of punishment and harassment for the hoaxer who was just messing around. This technology such as self created encyclopedia, is allowing the world to edit reality. "The best feature of the site is that anyone can edit virtually anything contained on it. The worst feature of the site is that anyone can edit virtually anything contained on it." ( pg 50 ) The good and bad always come hand in hand.