If
there is any non-commercial website that offers a wide range of information
based on history, geography, science, technology, arts, biography, politics or information
related to any information, it is definitely the WIKIPEDIA. Wikipedia is thus
supposedly a synonym for ‘information’.
Wikipedia
is a digital encyclopedia that was founded on 15th January 2001 by
Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, 15 years ago today. Currently, this online databank,
regarded as the 6th most popular website in the world as of January 2016 houses more
than 5 million articles in some 280 languages.
Despite the criticisms for the articles that it congregates being surfaced to a wide ‘openness’ (meaning anyone can edit the article), it is preferably, for many of us, the first site to encounter on our way to search for the information.
On this account, I can
vividly recollect a colleague of mine, who submitted an academic paper at the
eleventh hour containing information directly replicated from Wikipedia. By
the time it was submitted, we would detect every paragraph ending with the word [edit] or some reference numbers like [1], [2], [3] etc. But quite interestingly, as far as I remember, these papers were never returned for resubmission. Let alone plagiarisms been highly rampant (though out of sheer ignorance) those times, we never got a lesson that the entries in the Wikipedia were unreliable and variable on the grounds that the articles don't include bylines or editors, and therefore facts are vulnerable to constant change on every edition.
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| Photo courtesy: Click LINK |
However it may be, personally to me, Wikipedia has been the first mother website that feeds me
with a skeleton of ideas and a link to add flesh on my write-ups. Academically,
it was more than a literary embassy that housed information about the entire
world. And thus, for being a template of information and guide, I wish
Wikipedia, an esteemed 15th Anniversary. May you continue to enlighten the entire
world.
“Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write
anything they want about any subject. So you know you are getting the best
possible information” – Steve Carrell
I agree with you, Dumcho...Wikipedia is usually my first port of call when I need to find information.
ReplyDeleteOK, I know some of the information may sometimes be a little inaccurate, but mostly I learn a lot there.
Many thanks, my Friend.:)
Bro, this is a good post.
ReplyDeleteWe all turn to wiki if we want to get true and unbiased facts. If they had allowed ads on it the revenue would skyrocket and I wonder how they resist the temptation. This is the only gem in the crown !
Thanks for this post.
All the best and have a cool week ahead.
I'm not sure all the information on Wikipedia is correct. Anybody can write anything, and nobody verifies what is put up. Still, it is a decent source of information.
ReplyDelete