I am sure all of you here know about the worldwide phenomenon called Wikipedia, so I'll skip all the necessary introductions and background info on it. It is widely utilized by people around the world to conduct and help in their research work. That, however, is not what I'm going to post about today.
There is no doubting that Wikipedia has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 2001. In my opinion though, the more it grows, the more unreliable it becomes. Since anyone can edit Wikipedia, there's no guaranteeing that the information you're getting out of it even half-true. And there's also no way of guaranteeing that the information you're getting is completely unbiased (especially with articles related to Malaysia). I feel that a majority of Malaysian articles are so biased (be it politically or otherwise) that you only get 10% of the true picture.
The fact that these things are rampant is actually quite surprising, given the fact that Wikipedia has a humongous number of administrators, some of whom can be quite overzealous when it comes to carrying out their duties. I suppose they have the right to be overzealous though, when the processes involved in becoming an administrator is similar to that of one trying to become a Prime Minister.
So, for those out there who want to contribute, are thinking of contributing, or have contributed, please keep your personal preferences and opinions out of the equation. When I refer to Wikipedia for information, I'd rather read about the facts rather than what certain people would like others to believe.
6 mad rant(s):
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My first post was incoherent. Here is the edited version.
Maybe Wikipedia is a bit biased against Malaysia but they seem to treat most countries similarly. However, for better or worse Wikipedia is still the largest free online resource out there. It is here to stay.
I couldn't agree more.
Eh? I'm not saying it should close down. Just getting stuff off my chest (or in this case - telling as many ppl as I can to keep their own opinions out of it), which is a mission impossible by itself :D
Btw, Wikipedia is running short of funds. They issued a statement that they may close down in 3-4 months unless they get more funding. They need US$ 5 million a month to run Wikipedia but are currently getting only US$ 1.5 million monthly.
[fusion 16]: You are right to complain about people putting opinions on Wikipedia. Wikipedia's content are supposedly "neutral".
[thwen]: Thanks for giving me a seconder.
I'm sure someone will step in to rescue Wikipedia. In any case, there are a bunch of alternatives in the works, including one by Wikipedia founder Larry Sanger.
Anyways, we'll see what happens ler...