Wikis
Wikipedia Should Learn From Yahoo’s Mistake
A paper encyclopedia can contain only the most “noteworthy” topics precisely because it’s restricted by paper. Wikipedia has none of those restrictions, yet some Wikipedians still want to impose those restrictions.
A dispute over whether volunteer administrators have become too quick to delete entries has produced two clashing factions within the ranks of “Wikipedians,” sparking enthusiastic and sometimes nasty sparring on blogs and discussion groups.
On one side are the inclusionists, who argue there are no space restrictions, so why not include articles that have limited interest?
On the other side are the deletionists, who counter that the compendium, which marked its two-millionth English entry this fall, should focus on quality rather than quantity.
I’m reminded of the early days of the Web, when Yahoo imposed a hierarchical structure for its topical directory. Hierarchical structures are necessary for paper card catalogs, precisely because they’re restricted by paper. The Web has none of those restrictions. Google understood that freedom early on, while Yahoo did not. We all know what happened next: Yahoo’s ass got kicked. Will that happen to Wikipedia, too?
(Via Steve Rubel.)
The Truth About Zaido on Wikipedia
Gallian lost his parents, barrio folks and the entire baranggay of Kukurukuku because of Le-ar’s evil conquests and was then adopted by the Galactic Farce. He has run-of-the-mill skills in combat because he has heroin in the blood. As Blue-baby Zaido, head of the Zaido, he was tasked to look for other Zaido all over the world to entice them to fight supposedly for the safety of the universe, but in fact to solve a problem he has to solve all by himself.
Gone are the days when Philippine TV went unchallenged by passive audiences. Reader Shishiyo Makoto creatively vandalized the Wikipedia entry on GMA 7’s Shaider ripoff Zaido, with hilarious results. Check out the truth about Zaido on Wikipedia.
GMA clearly lives in an analog dreamland, wishing for the days when “audience feedback” was filtered through “ratings” paraded by marketers. Welcome to the new digital reality, where any joker with an Internet connection can have a persistent public voice.
