Wikipedia- Kacie

I use Wikipedia very little. Normally, it is my last resort if I cannot find information elsewhere. I would never use it as a reference to an academic paper since anyone is able to change the information available.
I believe that that Wikipedia could conquer expertise in a number of instances, but not entirely. For example, Schiff talks about the amount of “how-to” articles available on Wikipedia that would not be available in the encyclopedia. This type of information may not be the type of general knowledge expected in scholarly published materials. As times change, so do solutions to problems. Wikipedia helps us to find various solutions to problems with these “how- to” articles. In addition, I think that the line describing how “truth is established only when people pool their wisdom” (Schiff, p3) could be accurate as well. Depending on the topic, each contributor may have learned a different aspect of the area and would be able to share their knowledge with others. This is supported by Lessig in Remix when explaining how a number of reporters gathered information on the Virginia Tech incident. Each of these journalists had accurate information but may not have gotten to complete story. With the different angles of the individuals, a complete picture could be constructed of the event (p161).
I was a bit skeptical when the author mentioned a site glorifying Wikipedia and its corrections to Encyclopedia Britannica (Schiff, p1). Though the Encyclopedia is not without fault, as their authors have agreed, I feel it is much more reliable than Wikipedia. The authors of scholarly material study and edit this information much more thoroughly than I would expect most Wikipedia contributors do, making Encyclopedia a bit more believable to me. The best argument I have found in this article is that “the user who spends the most time on the site- or who yells the loudest-wins” (Schiff, p6). This type of controversy is what makes me very apprehensive in citing Wikipedia.
People may give up their time to share their web findings to create a sense of unity with other online communities. Or they could possibly want to initiate a conversation or debate. I do this all the time. If I find a humorous or alarming article, I will share it on my Facebook. Most of the time, I like to see other people’s reactions. I do not normally share everyday issues; only things that I believe will spark other’s interest.