Wikipedia is Definitely Helpful
So there is a big debate as to the validity of Wikipedia as an information source. My opinion on the matter is that it is a completely valid source to gain "good" information. Think about it this way, if you don't know the answer to a question and you ask your friend, would you really question their answer? You probably won't be asking them a life or death question, just something you are curious about. They would have no reason to lie to you, so you would take their word.
Wikipedia basically works the same way. You search for a topic. The topic has already been written about by someone else. On top of this general helpful mentality of the site, it is critiqued by the millions of users in the Wikipedia world. I highly doubt many people hope to find a cure for cancer on the site. If you are curious as to what the capital of Uganda is, Wikipedia will work just fine.
I wouldn't recommend making life decisions based on the information found on the site, but who in all honesty would make an important decision based on the information from one source. That is just plain dumb. If you start looking at other sources and find conflicting information, then one of your sources are definitely wrong. That is a simple concept. If you use a little common sense, you will be OK surfing the web for information.
People put a lot of hard work ensuring there is quality information on Wikipedia, and I feel for day to day use it is an excellent source of information. Even if by some chance incorrect information is posted to the site and not corrected, MOST of the information on it will be valid. I think you would be hard pressed to find information at the rate you can on the site without making a mistake here or there. No system is truly perfect. There are probably mistakes in the actual encyclopedia as well. Why would they release new versions if they were perfect? If 99.9+% of the information is good, I say use it as a quick way to get information that you aren't basing life decisions on.
Comments
Posted by: Brian Gray
Posted on: November 21, 2006 02:27 PM
I hope you post receives comments, as I am very curious what others think.
I had two thought when reading your post. I do agree with your comments about asking a friend about something. That type of interaction involves additional factors though, such as the trust that you have built up in your friend and the ability to discuss the question back-and-forth. They are quite different experiences.
As someone that works in the information world, you would be amazed how many people take Wikipedia as THE source they use in discussions, decisions, and if they were allowed research papers. I often remind students Wikipedia is a general source of knowledge and should be used to develop ideas.Posted by: Gregory Szorc
Posted on: November 21, 2006 02:37 PM
I view Wikipedia as a spring block. It is a great place to go for initial impressions. It usually does a good job of summarizing both sides of an issue as well as summarizing the basic facts. I find it invaluable to find related topics and links to helpful resources.
I have never and probably will never cite Wikipedia as a primary source. It just isn't reliable enough.