Editing Encyclopedia:Press coverage 2004 (section)

=== December ===
*'''[http://www.cornellsun.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/12/02/41ae87066c10f Arrr!]''', The Cornell Daily Sun, Jim Shliferstein, December 2, 2004. Details deliberate vandalism on Wikipedia by the author of the piece (Jim Shliferstein) and his mate. "I never fully understood the sheer awfulness of the human condition until last Tuesday. In the course of a debate about mammalian intelligence, my friend Harlan and I discovered an online encyclopedia called Wikipedia.org, a depressingly successful effort to harness the elusive Power of Loser."
*'''[http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65890,00.html Her So-Called Digital Life]''', Wired News, December 2, 2004. A new usage of the word ''Wikipedia'': "She isn't an aberration. On the contrary, she's a trend. Most of her friends -- many of them geeks and übergeeks -- live this way, the internet at the center of their relationships. Hodder is one of a growing number of technophiles whose lives are one big Wikipedia (a web-based encyclopedia that anyone can edit). And the life she leads may foreshadow yours."
*'''[http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2004-12-07-online-truth-elusive_x.htm With information access so easy, truth can be elusive]''', Associated Press, 6 December 2004. "The credentials of the people authoring grassroots Web journals and a committee-written encyclopedia called Wikipedia are often unclear. Nevertheless, some Internet users believe that such resources can collectively portray events more accurately than any single gatekeeper." (widely reprinted, link is to USA Today)
*'''[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/computing/personaltech/20041206-9999-mz1b6encyclo.html Everyone's Encyclopedia]''', San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 December 2004. Detailed article recounting the story of Wikipedia's origins and subsequent developments.
*'''[http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20041213/market06.shtml My Reference Desk]''', Express Computer, 13 December 2004. "In that case you'd definitely be turning to resources like the Wikipedia, free of any charge since it has been written collaboratively by contributors from all over the world. Why not then throw in the Wiktionary, Wikiquote and Wikibooks as well."
*'''[http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3880996 The Internet Column: Looking back at 2004]''', The Scotsman, 13 December 2004. "Interest in wiki has soared in the last year and sites like Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) and Wikitravel (wwww.wikitravel.org) have captured headlines around the world. Watch out for more wiki; this is one idea that has only just started to show its potential."
*'''[http://www.forbes.com/best/2004/1213/bow001.html Extreme Blogging]''', Forbes, 13 December 2004. Article about wikis as "the next big thing" has a detailed discussion of Wikipedia. "We asked Frederick Allen, Managing Editor of ''American Heritage'' [published by Forbes], to compare entries from Britannica Online and the Wikipedia. He was skeptical about the Wikipedia, but after throwing several queries at the two encyclopedias ([[Haydn]], [[Millard Fillmore]], [[warbler]]s), he admitted, "it looks as if Wikipedia's gotten a lot better, more thorough and more accurate." Even the Wikipedia's [[James II of England|James II of Britain]] article beat Britannica in size, reach and outside references. But Allen cautioned that there's "still the underlying problem that you can't be sure of the accuracy of what it presents, because of the fact that it's open to contributions from the public.""
*'''[http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/12/14/features/025fea.txt Davis, at your fingertips]''', Davis (CA) Enterprise, 14 December 2004. Mentions "wikipedia" in an article about a local community wiki.
*'''[http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1374741,00.html Collins launches online dictionary to debate new words]''', The Guardian, 16 December 2004. In launching its new Living Dictionary, Collins cites Wikipedia as a model.
*'''[http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1103626509270880.xml Spam filters search for patterns in words]''', Syracuse Post-Standard, 22 December 2004. From Dr. Gizmo's Q&A: "Q. I am happy that I could find one person who has had the guts to criticize Wikipedia. - T.H., freenet.de (Germany) A. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that allows anyone, regardless of qualifications, to write an entry or revise what someone else wrote. The doctor finds this ridiculous. That's not an encyclopedia; it's graffiti. Unfortunately, Wikipedia is easily accessed on the Internet, which makes it an easy source of misinformation for kids doing homework."
*'''[http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1745178,00.asp Wikis at work]''', PC Magazine, 22 December 2004. Overview article about wikis mentions Wikipedia as "one of the more robust wikis".
*'''[http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/01/issue/forward30105.asp?trk=nl Larry Sanger's Knowledge Free-for-All] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930060757/http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/01/issue/forward30105.asp?trk=nl |date=September 30, 2007 }}''', Wade Roush, MIT Technology Review. "There’s a second complaint against Wikipedia that bothers Sanger more deeply—the fractiousness among Wikipedians themselves. Sanger says participants often become embroiled in “revert wars” in which overprotective authors undo the changes others try to make to their articles. He says he’s afraid that this kind of behavior drives away academics and other experts whose contributions would otherwise raise Wikipedia’s quality." Referenced on [[slashdot]] [[24 December]] [[2004]] ([http://slashdot.org/articles/04/12/23/2312227.shtml?tid=95&tid=146])
*'''[http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1226words26.html '04 crunk with clear and cream]''', Arizona Republic, 26 December 2004. Article about "words that rose to prominence in 2004" includes ''wiki'' and mentions Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and Wikinews as examples.
*'''[http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20041227/edit02.shtml Gettin' wiki with it]''', Express Computer, 27 December 2004. " If you're dabbling with the Wikipedia for the first time, it comes as quite a shock that you have the power to edit any of the existing content, deleting or modifying what others have written and adding in your own two-bit wisdom."
*'''[http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20041228wo61.htm Favorite Web sites for 2004]''', Yomiuri Shimbun, 27 December 2004. "The Wikipedia, still in its relative infancy, is also a really fun resource for random learning. Each day, a different article is featured on the main page, and you can use the random page feature to take you directly to unexpected topics."
*Coverage of Wikipedia's article on the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]]:
**'''[http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=11098&hed=Information+wave Information wave]''', Red Herring, 27 December 2004. Discusses the spread of information on the internet about earthquake and tsunami, and mentions Wikipedia articles as examples.
**'''[http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2004/12/000426.php The Future of News Right Now]''', Will Richardson, eSchool News, 28 December 2004. "And when I do want a more complete picture of the story, I still don't go to the (NY) Times. Instead, I go to Wikipedia. Now I know there is some debate about the veracity of the information there. But take a minute to check out the Wikipedia entry on the tsunami event and tell me you aren't amazed. I know I am."
**'''[http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1473372004 Lazy guide to net culture: Tsunami]''', The Scotsman, 29 December 2004. "An invaluable source of information on the disaster"
**'''[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,18690-1418771,00.html Tsunami weblinks guide]''', [[The Times]], 29 December 2004. "The tsunami already has its own exhaustive entry on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, including an animation from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, casualty updates and details on the relief operation."
**[[MSNBC]] television ran a live segment called "'''Cyberspace Collaboration'''".  Guest [[Jeff Jarvis]] of Buzzmachine.com mentioned Wikipedia as a starting point for background information and links to collaborative and blog-based information on the earthquake and tsunami. ([http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2004_12_31.html#008763 Reference]) (2:30PM EST on December 31, 2004) 
*'''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4131793.stm Why the web is often woeful]''', BBC News, 29 December 2004. Commenting on the state of search engine technology: "I am making a lot more use of specific searches on places like Wikipedia and subscription database services."
*Bazeley, Michael. "Blogs, message boards draw world closer after (tsunami) tragedy." ''The Mercury News''. December 31, 2004. <small>[http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/10538681.htm]</small>
::"You can get a really good consensus picture of what's going on that's stronger than any one news organization could offer," said Jimmy Wales, founder of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. "So many people are on the ground in different places. And people pick up very quickly which are the bloggers to read, and they bring that information to the forefront and amplify it."
::"Volunteers at Wikipedia, a collaborative site that can be edited by virtually anyone, quickly created a Web page dedicated to the earthquake and tsunamis. Users have posted photos, graphics and a robust list of links to other sources of information. As of Thursday, the page had been edited 1,500 times, Wales said." 
::"It's a place for people to synthesize all of the information and sort through it," Wales said.