Wikis knocking on the iron gates of Oxford
Andrew Keen on New Media – Recently, Internet commentator Andrew Keen was at Oxford University together with Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger to debate whether “the internet is the future of knowledge”. Keen notes that it was ironic for the discussion – including discussion of whether the internet was democratising the creation and distribution of knowledge – to have occurred at Oxford, a representative of the “ivory tower business model for knowledge”. He notes that establishment of Oxford University by a wealthy landowner contrasts with the origins of Wikipedia, and sites like Wikipedia and Citizendium are driving the adoption of wikis, podcasts and blogs, even by traditional knowledge companies. Keen found the response of Oxford faculty and students to the democratic potential of the internet enthusiastic and “anything but snooty”.
Other mentions
Other recent mentions in online media include:
- Myanmar or Burma? Wikipedia debates – Wikipedians have been grappling with Burma’s name, which is a “complicated issue” according to one academic.
- Toronto is #1 (On Wikipedia) – User:Bearcat, from Toronto, is the (human) user with the highest number of edits on Wikipedia, based on the latest rankings.
- Cyber bandit sabotages top cop – The Wikipedia article on Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty has seen a spate of nonsensical vandalism recently, and is now semi-protected.
- The Backstage Sights, the Locker Room Scents – The “Wikipedia test” for tour guides: would you have gotten more “charm, energy and knowledge” if you had brought a printout from Wikipedia instead?
- Wiki gone wild – This author claims that Wikipedians tend to be anti-Israel while pretending to be objective, for example, in the treatment of the term “occupied territory“.
From the Wikipedia Signpost.
Recent Comments