NPR and WIRED Stories on Wikipedia
The articles on NPR and WIRED about Wikipedia are not really surprising. I think the majority of people know that the information on the Wikipedia is not reliable since anyone that wants to contribute to the site can do so. I found some of the comments by readers about the wikiscanner created by Virgil Griffith interesting. One poster claims that Wikipedia already has a system in place to track the contributors to the site long before Virgil Griffith thought of it. This poster claimed the article was propaganda. Even though they can track who is submitting and editing information, though it might slow down how much is posted to Wikipedia, it will not stop the fraudulent misuse of the site. It is easy to just use a computer that can't be traced back to a specific person or company.
It isn't surprising though that companies, such as Wal-Mart are submitting information to Wikipedia that makes them look good. But since anyone can contribute to Wikipedia along with the ability to edit someone else's submitted information, it will be a long time before we can trust Wikipedia to give us accurate information. Until the day when the submission of material on Wikipedia is more controlled, with a fact checking system in place, this online encyclopedia will remain an unreliable source for information.
It isn't surprising though that companies, such as Wal-Mart are submitting information to Wikipedia that makes them look good. But since anyone can contribute to Wikipedia along with the ability to edit someone else's submitted information, it will be a long time before we can trust Wikipedia to give us accurate information. Until the day when the submission of material on Wikipedia is more controlled, with a fact checking system in place, this online encyclopedia will remain an unreliable source for information.
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