Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: moot on August 15, 2007, 08:11:31 AM

Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: moot on August 15, 2007, 08:11:31 AM
Wikipedia's been on the case of misinformation the like of petty edit wars, but what about bigger fish?  Another tech/nerd forum I sometimes read has already had some serious debate of whether some users were on the payroll of big companies, biasing their posts in kind.

Someone more recently compiled Wikipedia's edits and their IP origin (http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/08/wiki_tracker).  It was only a matter of time, considering the precedents of national and international media as well as blogs (although the latter is on the far end of the spectrum).

o/t - And speaking of Diebold, they had yet another batch of failures at the Iowa straw polls.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Maverick on August 15, 2007, 12:39:40 PM
If it's in writing and on the internet is HAS to be true!!! Or it wouldn't be there! So there!  :furious
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Ocean27 on August 15, 2007, 05:08:32 PM
These gibes against wikipedia are sooo lame. Wiki is being cited as an unreliable source of info as a last ditch effort to discredit someone's argument.

But Wiki is merely a repository of information. Trying to discredit wiki as a source of info is like saying the last book you read was crap because you didn't like the texture of the paper forming the pages, or the type face of the print.

:rolleyes:
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: FrodeMk3 on August 15, 2007, 05:46:31 PM
Ocean, Wiki is discredited because it's possible, due to it's open editing practice, to put any kind of info in, even if it's wrong or misleading.

If the info's false, It has no business being in any kind of repository, period.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: rpm on August 15, 2007, 06:26:31 PM
(http://static.crooksandliars.com/2007/04/stephen-colbert-cc02.jpg)
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 15, 2007, 06:28:30 PM
According to a study by Nature, it is slightly more factually accurate than Encyclopedia Brittanica.  The two are almost at parity.

Not too shabby.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: crockett on August 15, 2007, 06:34:33 PM
Quote
Originally posted by FrodeMk3
Ocean, Wiki is discredited because it's possible, due to it's open editing practice, to put any kind of info in, even if it's wrong or misleading.

If the info's false, It has no business being in any kind of repository, period.


Edits with out proper sources tend to be corrected fairly fast. It's open to edit by anyone is why it's full of the info that it is. It's it's biggest strength but a small weakness.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 15, 2007, 06:36:57 PM
Wikipedia cannot possibly work in theory.

It only works in practice.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: rpm on August 15, 2007, 06:56:40 PM
(http://www.newsvine.com/_vine/images/users/nws/spring/307867.jpg)
 'Wikiality' - the method of making something up, but getting enough people to agree with you so it becomes reality.
http://spring.newsvine.com/_news/2006/08/01/307864-stephen-colbert-causes-chaos-on-wikipedia-gets-blocked-from-site
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: soda72 on August 15, 2007, 07:07:45 PM
Quote
Originally posted by rpm
(http://www.newsvine.com/_vine/images/users/nws/spring/307867.jpg)
 'Wikiality' - the method of making something up, but getting enough people to agree with you so it becomes reality.
http://spring.newsvine.com/_news/2006/08/01/307864-stephen-colbert-causes-chaos-on-wikipedia-gets-blocked-from-site
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFT4OfdnVpU


hmmmmm

This video has been removed by the user.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: rpm on August 15, 2007, 07:20:11 PM
Sorry, I didn't check the link beforehand, I'm on dialup. I'm sure it's out there somewhere.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: nirvana on August 15, 2007, 11:33:18 PM
Chairboy works for Wikipedia if I recall....






:noid
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 15, 2007, 11:51:57 PM
I don't work for Wikipedia, but I'm part of the super secret cabal there that conspires to eat babies, controls elections, and keeps the metric system from catching on in the US.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: rpm on August 16, 2007, 12:57:34 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
I don't work for Wikipedia, but I'm part of the super secret cabal there that conspires to eat babies, controls elections, and keeps the metric system from catching on in the US.
Thanks for the metric system thing.:aok
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Jackal1 on August 16, 2007, 07:24:34 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Maverick
If it's in writing and on the internet is HAS to be true!!!


Yes, but I would feel much better if it were verified in the newspapers.

:rolleyes:
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Maverick on August 16, 2007, 11:56:27 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Jackal1
Yes, but I would feel much better if it were verified in the newspapers.

:rolleyes:


Well DUH!!! What do you think ask Abbey is there for?  :furious
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: lasersailor184 on August 16, 2007, 11:58:55 AM
Recently, I was kind of wondering if I should make a wikipedia page for myself.


Just in case anybody wants to know about me.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 16, 2007, 12:04:55 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CSD#Articles subsection 7.  It'll get deleted on sight.

An article about a person must meet the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:NOTABLE notability criteria.  Wikipedia ain't MySpace or a web provider, it's an encyclopedia.

If you create an account, you can have a user page that describes you, of course.  For instance, mine is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chairboy
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Ripsnort on August 16, 2007, 12:26:43 PM
Quote
Originally posted by FrodeMk3
Ocean, Wiki is discredited because it's possible, due to it's open editing practice, to put any kind of info in, even if it's wrong or misleading.

If the info's false, It has no business being in any kind of repository, period.

Unless its labeled "FICTION".
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Ripsnort on August 16, 2007, 12:29:50 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
http://If you create an account, you can have a user page that describes you, of course.  For instance, mine is here:[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chairboy


OMG...:rofl  Now that *is* the definition of a self-centered nerd! :lol (Not the content of your page mind you, but actually the act of creating that...)
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 16, 2007, 12:43:20 PM
As an admin, I'm expected to have it.  What's the beef?
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Neubob on August 16, 2007, 12:49:01 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
I don't work for Wikipedia, but I'm part of the super secret cabal there that conspires to eat babies....


I thought you're supposed to be on a diet
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Ripsnort on August 16, 2007, 12:51:11 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
As an admin, I'm expected to have it.  What's the beef?

Oh, you're an admin for Wiki? Then I retract my statment.:aok
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Ack-Ack on August 16, 2007, 01:51:40 PM
EA got caught doing this.  Someone was able to use that program made by that college student to trace the IP back to someone in EA that was editing the EA wiki site.  The person at EA had edited out all information regarding one of the original company founders and anything that painted EA in a negative light.


ack-ack
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: lasersailor184 on August 16, 2007, 02:25:59 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:CSD#Articles subsection 7.  It'll get deleted on sight.

An article about a person must meet the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:NOTABLE notability criteria.  Wikipedia ain't MySpace or a web provider, it's an encyclopedia.

If you create an account, you can have a user page that describes you, of course.  For instance, mine is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chairboy


Are you implying that I am unimportant?
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 16, 2007, 02:47:12 PM
Make an article about yourself if you'd like to find out...  :D
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: OneWordAnswer on August 16, 2007, 03:01:18 PM
Quote
Originally posted by lasersailor184
Are you implying that I am unimportant?

Yes.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: lasersailor184 on August 17, 2007, 08:47:39 PM
Quote
Originally posted by OneWordAnswer
Yes.


OWA, I missed you!
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: nirvana on August 17, 2007, 08:53:31 PM
What is the reasoning for that rule Chairboy?  It would seem that Laser is as famous to us as say....Skuzzy.  Would Skuzzy get the ax if he was put on the wiki?
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: lasersailor184 on August 17, 2007, 09:16:03 PM
Quote
Originally posted by nirvana
What is the reasoning for that rule Chairboy?  It would seem that Laser is as famous to us as say....Skuzzy.  Would Skuzzy get the ax if he was put on the wiki?


Who will be first to make a page for skuzzy?
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: nirvana on August 17, 2007, 09:23:15 PM
Who was the first to edit reality so it says "reality is a commodity"?
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: Chairboy on August 17, 2007, 11:09:20 PM
Nirvana: Would you expect to find an article about Lasersailor or Skuzzy in an encyclopedia?

Read the notability guidelines I linked to above, they'll help explain if it's still unclear.  Wikipedia is not an undifferentiated collection of info or webhost, it's na encyclopedia.
Title: Wikipedia manipulation
Post by: AWMac on August 18, 2007, 05:33:26 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Chairboy
Nirvana: Would you expect to find an article about Lasersailor or Skuzzy in an encyclopedia?

Read the notability guidelines I linked to above, they'll help explain if it's still unclear.  Wikipedia is not an undifferentiated collection of info or webhost, it's na encyclopedia.


*cough cough BS cough*