Double Entry Journal # 8

a. What is Wikipedia? 
Wikipedia is a web based encyclopedia that is multilingual. It is used in many different countries with many different languages.

 
b. How would you answer the question posed in this piece “How reliable can a source be when anyone can edit it?”? 

A source that is available to anyone for editing can be a reliable source because there are so many people who will change all of the negative information that is put into the website immediatly.

c. Who do the creators of Wikipedia place their trust in when it comes to weeding out misinformation? 

The creators of Wikipedia place their trust in the wisdom of the crowd when it comes to weeding out misinformation.

d. Why did founder Larry Sanger leave Wikipedia? 

Founder, Larry Sanger, left Wikipedia because he felt that the website should give more authority to the experts.

e. What would abuse or vandalism look like on a Wikipedia page? 

Abuse or vandalism would look like wrong information, profanity, and misleading information.

f. What do the statistics quoted in the third paragraph of this piece reveal? The statistics quoted in the third paragraph reveal that Wikipedia is the most visited site on the internet to date. It also shows that Wikipedia is offered in many different countries with many different languages.

g. Why do you think Wikipedia is so successful? 

I believe that Wikipedia is so successful because it is very user-friendly and is extermely accessible. With many topics typed into google, Wikipedia is the first website option to occur. I also believe that since the user has the ability to change information that they read is incorrect, it makes them feel as if they helped someone else learn.

h. Why might Wikipedia’s creators not want to accept advertising? 

Wikipedia's creators may not want to accept advertising because advertising can sometimes cause more issues for a company than expected. Advertising takes the website user away from the website intended to look at a different site.

i. How does Wikiscanner help increase the reliability of Wikipedia entries?

Wikiscanner helps increase the reliability of the Wikipedia entries because it exposes data of self-interested editing by prominent businesses and governments around the world. In simpler terms, it allows the creators of Wikipedia to better weed out the misinformation.