Subject: WIKIPEDIA
=EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD
To Wikipedia!
By Erfert Fenton
---
Last Saturday I had tadpole problems. You read that right: tadpole
problems. I was cleaning out my horse's water trough and found some
tiny tadpoles. Or were they puny pollywogs?
---
Whatever they were, I scooped them out and put them in an unused
trough, where I hope to raise them to full froghood. To make sure I
raise them properly, I uttered a familiar cry when I got home: "To
Wikipedia!"
---
In case you're unfamiliar with Wikipedia, it can be described in a
nutshell as an online collaborative encyclopedia.
---
Anyone with expertise regarding a particular subject can write and
post an article about that subject.
---
OK, you say, I know lots of people who think they're experts regarding
something, whereas many of their friends and colleagues would beg to
disagree with that status.
---
Don't worry; Wikipedia has a number of ways to make sure articles are
accurate. For example, Wikipedia's guidelines encourage article
writers to cite their sources.
---
And because Wikipedia is a collaborative effort, Wikipedia readers can
make changes to an article, from fixing typos to adding or correcting
information.
---
(A record of changes accompanies each article.) Of course, disputes
about an article's accuracy, neutrality, and other factors can arise.
If there are problems that can't be solved by contributors, a
Wikipedia administrator might step in.
---
Despite everyone's best efforts and intentions, some articles might
contain inaccuracies or disputed information.
---
Even the folks at Wikipedia advise against using it as the sole source
for research, saying "The best way to decide whether a particular
statement is accurate is to find independent, reliable sources to
affirm that statement, such as books, magazine articles, television
news stories, trade journals or web sites." Good advice when reading
an article from any source.
---
Wikipedia currently features about 9 million articles in more than 250
languages (more than 2 million of those articles are in English).
---
Therefore, if you want information about a particular subject, chances
are it's in Wikipedia. --
To find out, just go to www.wikipedia.org and type a word in the
search box. I typed "tadpoles" and went to =EF=BF=BD oops! =EF=BF=BD an
arti=
cle about
the 1990s psychedelic rock band Tadpole. However, at the top of that
article was a convenient link to "tadpole," which took me to an
article about my friends, the larval amphibians.
---
Tip: If you have a few spare minutes, try the Random article link on
the
left side of any Wikipedia page.
---
Even if you don't find a subject that interests you, it's a
fascinating peek at the scope of Wikipedia's articles.
---
(A recent foray into randomness netted me articles on the Cajun
accordion player Nathan Ab****re, landmarks of St. Petersburg; mobster
Joseph "Joe Dogs" Iannuzi, and Ethiopian cuisine.)
---
One of the great things about Wikipedia articles is that they include
links to other Wikipedia articles.
---
For example, a link in the tadpole article went to a more detailed
article on metamorphosis.
---
However, I didn't need to know the scientific details of
metamorphosis; I needed to know what to feed my tadpoles. I was in
luck, as the tadpole article included two links to external (non-
Wikipedia) articles about raising tadpoles. My questions were
answered.
---
Tip: Many Wikipedia pages include a lot of text, links, and graphics.
If
you're having trouble displaying a page, you might be better off
viewing a minimalist, graphics-free version of it by using Skweezer
(go to www.Skweezer.net and follow the instructions there).
---
So, if you're going about your daily business and come up with a
question =EF=BF=BD about pretty much anything =EF=BF=BD see if Wikipedia
can=
help you
out. You're bound to learn something!
--
=EF=BF=BD
=EF=BF=BD
|
