Wikipeida - Ryan B

I will first say that like Brett, the last few years being in college I have been strongly advised against using Wikipedia because it is considered too uncredible of a source. I will use it sometimes when writing papers to just compare information that I have found from other more reliable and primary sources. I have used it a couple of times for some "solid" information but I have never sited it as a source for fear of getting my grade docked some points. I have also added some of my own information to certain pages...mostly the page containing the information and history of my fraternity. However upon returning to the same page a few months later I'm sad to see the info I posted and added had been removed along many other pieces of information about the fraternity. Its great being able to contribute to a public domain like Wikipedia but at the same time, that same freedom allows others to remove and change that information freely which makes me skeptical at just how reliable Wikipedia is. Mostly I use it for personal use like researching cities in Florida where I hope to move.
I don’t believe Wikipedia will ever “conquer” expertise. Sure thousands and thousands of people from all over contribute to Wikipedia on a daily basis and sure most of these are credible people eager to share their knowledge with the rest of the country. However the reason I don’t think it will conquer expertise is because Wikipedia is also a place for many to simply share their opinion on a subject. For example, its now been almost a decade since 9/11 and on Wikipedia there are numerous pages on facts and happenings that day. At the same time are pages that talk about government conspiracies surrounding that day. There is a difference between getting the facts of such a huge event and getting the opinion of what a few conspiracy theorists think happened that day. Its important and sometimes difficult to sort “expertise” from opinion on shared public information sites like Wikipedia.
I think people give up their time to sift through and share information with others because it gives them a sense of accomplishment and belonging. Being able to share interesting pieces of information with others makes these people their own online journalist. In a day where so much of the news on television is dark and repetitive, being able to share the “small” stories will give a wider range of knowledge and will allow people to personally grow especially if they are sharing information they feel passionate about. I personally don’t do a lot of news sifting. The most I do is over my morning cup of coffee reading the days headlines online