tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post272843371365770552..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On not being a speech therapistDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-36776120858900116812009-08-27T08:52:32.906+00:002009-08-27T08:52:32.906+00:00Interesting to see (August 2009) that Wikipedia is...Interesting to see (August 2009) that Wikipedia is having to bite the editorial bullet more firmly, as I predicted it would have to do. But given the report that some editors were found to be manipulating the data, a little while back, the old question arises, <i>Quis custodiat ipsos custodes?</i> - 'Who guards these guardians?' And how are they trained? It takes ages to train editors properly, as I well know from my own encyclopedia days.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-74424016192039553012007-01-24T22:13:00.000+00:002007-01-24T22:13:00.000+00:00Thanks for doing that, Hannah. Another small step ...Thanks for doing that, Hannah. Another small step towards perfection. Actually, I have enough trouble trying to keep my own bio data up to date on my website, without looking after other people's! I'm grateful for any help I can get.<br /><br />It'll be interesting to see what happens to Citizendium, which is an interesting middle road. The problem will be costs. I have a team of about 350 specialists which I use for updating my general encyclopedias, and each time I use them there's a fee to be paid. It's quite an expensive business, using experts to maintain an encyclopedia database. <br /><br />I agree about the fun browsing element in wikis. You can find yourself going down side-roads that you'd never otherwise have thought of exploring. But you always have to be on your guard. Check, check, check is the only watchword, when it comes to reusing a 'fact'.<br /><br />Mind you, getting hard facts is not always easy. I remember once phoning an embassy in London to check on some figures for their country, which was in the midst of a civil war. When I explained who I was, a suspicious voice asked: 'Whose side are you on?' And when I said, 'neither', they put the phone down.<br /><br />Thanks for news of the common-room 'presence'. It sounds a lot better than a previous picture I saw, when I was visiting a school. My pic was on the wall, next to the dart-board. I comforted myself with the thought that the students were obviously not very good at darts.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-58086258629074251202007-01-24T19:04:00.000+00:002007-01-24T19:04:00.000+00:00I certainly agree with you about the integrity of ...I certainly agree with you about the integrity of many Wikipedia articles. Indeed, a friend of mine was able to maintain an entry on a completely fictitious painter for several weeks, before eventually being caught out.<br /><br />I also agree that perfect quality is something towards which Wikipedia will never make much progress -- the element of mischief will always be there. However, to me, quality isn't really the point of Wikipedia at all. The great think about it is the contextual linking -- the way in which I can read one article and almost immediately be drawn into a fascinating web of related subjects. That I might pick up a few erroneous 'facts' along the way doesn't bother me too much. As you say, it's good for 'fun browsing', but also for getting a general overview of a given subject -- learning in a very exploratory way -- while ignoring the suspicious and uncitated details amirite?<br /><br />Incidentally, though I admit it sounds very strange, you've attained a place of comic reverence among my fellow lower sixth form English Language students after being introduced to us by an admiring teacher. Evidence: a picture of you hanging in the common room and liberal use of the phrase "David Crystal can beat you up." We were, in fact, leafing through a copy of <i>Language and the Internet</i> at lunch break today. We noted your impressive volume of IRC research and all hope to see you on SlashNET or something sometime!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-1258691385602649712007-01-24T03:11:00.000+00:002007-01-24T03:11:00.000+00:00Unfortunately, many hardcore Wikipedia fans are un...Unfortunately, many hardcore Wikipedia fans are unwilling to concede that Wikipedia is anything less than perfect. <br /><br />I do hope that Larry Sanger's Citizendium will take off. It surely deserves to.<br />Here's a short essay about the project on the Citizendium site.<br /><br />Toward a New Compendium of Knowledge<br />http://www.citizendium.org/essay_shorter.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-62733345886008080802007-01-17T11:04:00.000+00:002007-01-17T11:04:00.000+00:00"David Crystal lives in Holyhead with his wife, he..."David Crystal lives in Holyhead with his wife, he has had four children who have since all left home"<br /><br />I changed it for you.<br /><br />You could revise it yourself if some of it is wrong.<br /><br />Hannah<br />xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com