Reading What Ex-Wikipedians Have to Say
22nd August 2012
Roger Pearse uncovers a rock.
Obviously the articles on these sites are very much the work of the disillusioned ex-Wikipedians; but none the less they represent a valuable corrective to the quite misleadingly positive impression that many people have of Wikipedia. Most people suppose that the way Wikipedia represents itself is accurate. Even those who have enough experience to realise that this presentation is not how things actually work, and that there is endless fighting involved, nevertheless tend to suppose (as I did) that the administration is honest at least in intent. The testimonies of the ex-Wikipedians suggest very strongly otherwise.
August 22nd, 2012 at 08:23
In an ‘open’ forum, such as the internet or Wikipedia, ‘common knowledge’ often outweighs and/or overwhelms informed opinion–not to mention facts. Truth becomes merely a commodity determined by popular vote, and usefulness flies out the window.