Wikipedia
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Wikipedia is an Internet online encyclopedia that can be written and edited by its own readers thanks to the technology known as wiki. It was created by James "Jimbo" Whales, who remaind its director, and it was originally named Nupedia. Wikipedia is edited by a growing number of users who contriute with their writting skills and personal knowledge do increase and improve the articles.
Although it's users still debate about what to include, it's goal is to content the sum of all human knowledge. It's articles renge from biographies of scientists, historical figures or contemporary politicians to episodes of TV shows. The amount of articles and information it currently features makes it one of the most consulted sources on the Internet.
It started in English, but it has spawned a number of versions in other languajes, going as far as including dead languajes latin or esperanto and simple English.
[edit] Criticism
Critics of Wikipedia come mainly from two relative gronds, while some view the fact that any person with no scholar specialization can edit every topic and therefore the content is not reliable, others think that its content is too limited by most of its editors.
John Seigenthaler Sr., founder of Vanderbilt University's First Amendment Center, assistant to former attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, has described Wikipedia as '"a flawed and irresponsible research tool"'. As a result of this line of though, but thinking that "The world needs a more credible free [online] encyclopedia", Wikipedia's co-founder Larry Sanger went as far as creatingCitizendium, a new online free enciclopedia, with more strict article quality standards.
Another shortcoming related to reliaility is the presence of vandalism, and edits from users trying to impose their personal points of view. Vandalism, can include text mocking the article or its content, swear words, erasing data and other sort of pointles destructive edits which can be easily spoted and undone. But on the other hand, some other users tend to modify article in order to have them including only information which satisfy their own poins of views. In some cases, like with the article about comic book writer and penciller John Byrne, the it was modified by Byrne himself to his own convenience.
