Wikipedia

I can't say that before this assignment I knew very much about Wikipedia. All I really knew about it was what I was told by my teachers in high school - that it wasn't a very reliable source, which led me to believe it was just a failed attempt at an online encyclopedia. I still went there as a jumping off point when writing papers, because I liked how its language and set-up were easy to understand, but I never used it as an actual source. Because my teachers spoke so negatively about it in school, I never had the desire to look further into Wikipedia or ever view it as a success. However, after reading about the history and the goal of the site, I finally have enough information about it to make my own informed decision.

The reason teachers don't want students using Wikipedia as a source is the same reason Wikipedia is so special. No other online encyclopedia allows countless contributors. Wikipedia wants anyone and everyone to be able to add to their information, but because of vandalism they had to enforce some form of a hierarchical system of editing. I think this is really smart. It allows everyone who is serious about subject, with valuable information, to add to the site, and makes it truly a worldwide community of contributors. Even the creator of the site is not solely in charge of its operation; it is ultimately run by a group of 7 founders.

While one still might stumble upon errors on the site, for the system is not yet perfect, Wikipedia is attempting something brand new, and I really respect it for that. I look upon the website in an entirely new way now. Actually, now that I know how often Wikipedia is edited, and about how serious its editors are, the site gains more credibility with me. I now trust the information I find on Wikipedia more than when I just thought that anyone could add and edit.

My overall opinion of Wikipedia is that it has more positives than negatives. While it's still not perfect, it's attempting something no online encyclopedia has done before. I think it is definitely a good place to go for simple information and a good place to start if you're doing research. I have a new-found respect for Wikipedia :)