Slashdot Mirror


Wikipedia Founder Edits Own Bio

Carnildo writes "Wired News reports that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has edited his own entry in the online encyclopedia at least 18 times, in violation of Wikipedia's policy on autobiography. Edits included removing phrases describing Larry Sanger as a co-founder of Wikipedia, and changing phrasing describing Bomis.com, another of Wales' sites, as a pornography site."

73 of 411 comments (clear)

  1. *Not* policy, just a guideline by idonthack · · Score: 5, Interesting
    OP:
    Wikipedia's policy on autobiography
    Wikipedia's page, linked to in that phrase:
    This page is considered a guideline on Wikipedia. It illustrates standards of conduct, which many editors agree with in principle. However, it is not policy.
    Emphasis mine, on both. Of course, on the same page is this:
    "It is a social faux pas to write about yourself," according to Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia's founder.
    Ooops.
    ---
    PS - This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
    Generated by SlashdotRndSig via GreaseMonkey
    --
    Why is it that when you believe something it's an opinion, but when I believe something it's a manifesto?
    1. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh come on... if someone vandalizes your bio to say "I love the cock" you wouldn't change it too?

    2. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by BushCheney08 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course I'd change it. The word "the" absolutely doesn't belong there.

      --
      Be a real patriot: Question authority. Think for yourself. Formulate your own conclusions.
    3. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by shashark · · Score: 2, Funny

      Barbossa : ."..the Code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Miss Turner."

    4. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by HardCase · · Score: 2, Funny

      Arrr, matey, it's not so much a code as it is a guideline.

      -h-

    5. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by MikeBabcock · · Score: 4, Informative

      There's a difference between writing about one's self ("Michael is a genius") and editing out others' comments about one's self ("Michael is an ass^H^H^H").

      In any case, Wikipedia allows the viewing of historical changes; so people can be held accountable for such edits anyway.

      --
      - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
    6. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 5, Funny

      Of course I'd change it. The word "the" absolutely doesn't belong there.

      I think you're missing the point. The correct phrase is "I love my cock."

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
    7. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by IndigoZenith · · Score: 5, Funny

      This would probably have to be marked a "stub"...

      --
      "If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried"
    8. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by JVert · · Score: 5, Funny

      Has it really come to this now?

      http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/12/16

    9. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      The correct phrase is "I love my cock."

      That's a given - every guy loves their cock. The purpose of the article is to inform the reader of something they do not know yet. Thus, the correct phrase is "4 out of 5 dentists love my cock."

    10. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by propagandize · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I remember Wil Wheaton posting on /. a while ago asking for someone to change an incorrect fact on his bio, because he didn't want to violate the policy.

    11. Re:*Not* policy, just a guideline by Ratbert42 · · Score: 3, Funny

      As long as it's not marked for deletion.

  2. Why is this news? by Kelson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I thought it was extremely silly that this showed up on Wired. Now it's doubly silly that it's shown up on Slashdot.

    I mean, seriously, the last time there was a controversy over someone's Wikipedia bio, the suggestion was that he should've fixed the errors himself, right?

    As for violating policy -- that "policy" itself says "This page is considered a guideline on Wikipedia. It illustrates standards of conduct, which many editors agree with in principle. However, it is not policy." In RFC terms, that's a SHOULD NOT, rather than a MUST NOT. (And that's not a new, self-justifying edit, either.) Yeah, it's a little tacky, but as long as he's making corrections and not inserting falsehoods, it's a matter for a gossip column, not tech news.

    1. Re:Why is this news? by suso · · Score: 5, Funny

      I thought it was extremely silly that this showed up on Wired. Now it's doubly silly that it's shown up on Slashdot.

      And now its become even more silly that people are commenting about it.

    2. Re:Why is this news? by Kelson · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Does even its own founder really believe in it, when it comes to information he personally cares about?

      Given that he made a few edits instead of locking it down, I'd guess the answer is "yes."

    3. Re:Why is this news? by Echnin · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Flamebait? Strong opinion and death threats are certainly bad, but as TFA says, "It is a social faux pas to write about yourself," according to Jimmy Wales. Despite this, he's changing the content of the articles because he disagrees with them--I've only observed first-hand the changing of "co-founder" into "founder", but others have implied even bigger changes. It's not like he corrected his birthday or fixed a typo.

      --
      Lalala
    4. Re:Why is this news? by Kelson · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Since when is Wikipedia an "experiment in gathering information?" It may be an experiment in the colloquial, "let's see if this will work" sense, but I don't think they've ever claimed it was an actual scientific experiment.

      Really, saying the founder of Wikipedia shouldn't make contributions because it's an experiment to see what other people will do is like saying that CmdrTaco shouldn't make comments on Slashdot, because it's an experiment in gatering comments from random geeks who have too much time on their hands.

      You might want to take a look at what Wikipedia is and what it is not before comparing apples to oranges.

    5. Re:Why is this news? by Kelson · · Score: 2, Funny

      When the dupe shows up later today, will that be triply silly or quadruply silly?

      I dunno, but when someone reads it in Tripoli...

  3. NOTE: not a violation of "policy" by yagu · · Score: 3, Informative

    A point of order from the slashdot "article"... from the article:

    Wired News reports that Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has edited his own entry in the online encyclopedia at least 18 times, in violation of Wikipedia's policy on autobiography

    But, the actual link includes in the very first paragraph:

    This page is considered a guideline on Wikipedia. It illustrates standards of conduct, which many editors agree with in principle. However, it is not policy.

    While there may be a patina of suspicion for self-edited bio's, it doesn't sound like Wales committed any overt actions warranting this scrutiny. (for example, I've just visited bomis.com, and had it not been referred to in this article as potentially a porn or soft-porn site, I never would have guessed by scanning the home page -- his "correction" is probably warranted.) I guess it's a price to pay for the internet fame.

  4. So what? by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If it's to remove bullshit and/or to straighten the record???

  5. Wow. by Mille+Mots · · Score: 5, Funny

    Stuff that matters. Finally!

  6. Slashdot sez... by FooAtWFU · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.

    I mean, come on. If you want to throw dirt at Wikipedia, can't you come up with something better than this? Not news, people. Not news at all.

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
    1. Re:Slashdot sez... by dorkygeek · · Score: 2, Funny
      What do you expect when somebody named Carndildo submits a story...

      --
      Windows is like decaf - it tastes like the real thing, but it won't get you through the day.
  7. in other news by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, as long as we're posting shit I'd like to add that I used the bathroom twice today, had a good lunch and installed a new monitor.
    I'm also considering making a dupe of this post later in the conversation.
    What have other /.ers done today?

    --
    If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
    1. Re:in other news by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm also considering making a dupe of this post later in the conversation.

      I could almost have saved you the bother with my reply, because I've also used the bathroom and had a nice meal today. However, it wouldn't quite be a dupe because I didn't install a new monitor. Instead, I did a load of laundry and ironing, and packed my suitcase for a trip tomorrow.

      Thanks for telling us all about your day!

      -Stephen

  8. Really... by ElGnomo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Critical question: Who cares? Why is this important?

  9. It must be "beat up on Wikipedia week" by yppiz · · Score: 4, Interesting
    It seems like everyone is jumping on Wikipedia this week. Seriously, who's writing these talking points?

    --Pat

    1. Re:It must be "beat up on Wikipedia week" by SoTuA · · Score: 4, Funny
  10. Bit misleading by chrisbtoo · · Score: 3, Informative

    First, it's a guideline, not a policy.

    Also, the first revision of the Autobiography page states:


    This is a proposed new guideline. Don't take it seriously yet!!

    If you, or something you are responsible for, is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia, somebody else will do it soon enough. Let them do it.

    Note that this guideline is not intended to discourage people who have articles about themselves or their works from contributing to those articles in the interests of accuracy and fairness.


    JW didn't edit the page until over a year after it was created, so not really against the guideline, either.

    --
    Registering accounts later than some other chrisb since 1997
  11. He's not the only one getting caught by u2boy_nl · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Recently Adam Curry was caught changing the Wikipedia article about 'podcasting'. (You know, the amazing technology which allows you to download audio from the internet and then listen to it!!!!)

    Former MTV veejay and podcasting entrepreneur Adam Curry appears to have been caught anonymously editing the podcasting entry on Wikipedia to remove credit from other people and inflate his role in its creation.

    http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/news/2818

    1. Re:He's not the only one getting caught by dorkygeek · · Score: 2
      And what's so cruel about that? The next time the article revision history is looked over, the changes are simply reverted. Past has shown that people are fast in reverting things!

      --
      Windows is like decaf - it tastes like the real thing, but it won't get you through the day.
  12. latest entry by joemawlma · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Jimmy Whales also has a 12-inch... um, ruler?"

  13. Write vs Edit by Valiss · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not that I have an opinion either way ('cause I don't), but it seems to me that he did not write about himself, but rather edited content about his entry. I don't see why editing your bio, espcially to correct errors, would be such a terrible crime worthy of news.

    --

    -Valiss
    1. Re:Write vs Edit by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 2, Insightful

      he did not write about himself, but rather edited content about his entry. I don't see why editing your bio, espcially to correct errors, would be such a terrible crime worthy of news.

      Editing your own bio is just like writing it. If Charles Manson edited his to turn "murderer" into "serious self-defense practitioner", in his eyes he might think he's right and absolutely entitled to correct the error, but the result would be wrong.

      I think the phrase is "you can't be judge and jury".

      --
      "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    2. Re:Write vs Edit by timeOday · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I don't see why editing your bio, espcially to correct errors, would be such a terrible crime worthy of news.
      Simple: because it shows the anonymous masses got it wrong, which undermines the very foundation of Wikipedia. If nothing else, what does it say for the accuracy of the vast majority of Wikipedia biographies about people who *don't* closely monitor their own entries?
    3. Re:Write vs Edit by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has edited his own entry in the online encyclopedia at least 18 times, in violation of Wikipedia's policy on autobiography.
      This is dumb. ... the wiki is just as bad
      You should wait for others to write an article about subjects in which you are personally involved. This particularly applies to autobiographies

      The only person, by definition, who CAN write an autobiograhy about Wales is Wales.

      definition: autobiography: The biography of a person written by that person.

      Is english the first language of any of the editors of slashdot or wikimedia?

    4. Re:Write vs Edit by timster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Nonsense. Anyone who has ever tried to write an article about anything knows that it is quite difficult to come up with something that is one hundred percent accurate. There are plenty of errors in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, as demonstrated by the recent study.

      Please distinguish between the PROCESS of Wikipedia and the CONTENT of Wikipedia. Certainly it's possible to find errors in the content, but these do not prove that the process is invalid unless the number of errors is excessive (see again the recent study). Similarly, attempting to "prove" that the process is invalid through some logical stroke (as you have attempted to do) is irrelevant unless you can show that the theoretical problems with the process do meaningful damage to the content.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    5. Re:Write vs Edit by rbarreira · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Is english your first language? It isn't mine, and I can still understand what they mean with these two sentences:

      You should wait for others to write an article about subjects in which you are personally involved. This particularly applies to autobiographies (...)

      The first sentence is the general case. The second one is a more particular case of writing about subjects in which you are personally involved, in this case the subject being "your own life". Got it?

      --

      The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
    6. Re:Write vs Edit by PenguiN42 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Simple: because it shows the anonymous masses got it wrong, which undermines the very foundation of Wikipedia.

      The "very foundation of Wikipedia" is not that the "anonymous masses" will get everything 100% correct. Claiming that this is the case is a pretty disingenuous strawman. I see you got 5 insightful points out of it, too, which points to a growing, somewhat confusing, anti-wikipedia fever on Slashdot.

      If nothing else, what does it say for the accuracy of the vast majority of Wikipedia biographies about people who *don't* closely monitor their own entries?

      This has nothing to do with biographies, but rather is about all articles on wikipedia: There are going to be some mistakes. Don't use an encyclopedia as a primary source. Nothing new here, please move along.

      --
      The following sentence is true. The preceding sentence was false.
    7. Re:Write vs Edit by technoid_ · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And you have what to back up your statements? Come on, if you're gonna give the guy hell about editing his own bio, have some proof to your claims of what he is covering up.

      technoid_

      --
      Two wrongs don't make a right, but 3 lefts do - Lew of GO magazine
    8. Re:Write vs Edit by rbarreira · · Score: 3, Informative

      No I didn't. Apparently you missed MY point. The second sentence says exactly the same as the first one, it's just a particular case. Another way of writing the text would be:

      You should wait for others to write an article about subjects in which you are personally involved. This is also true if you're writing a biographical article, in which case you would be writing an autobiography

      This is just a more verbose way of saying it, but it's exactly what they mean with the sentence... And that's exactly why the wikipedia article is called "Autobiographies"

      --

      The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F
    9. Re:Write vs Edit by AlvySinger · · Score: 3, Insightful

      So when John Seigenthaler is libelled, the crowd shout: he could edit it to make it correct.

      When a Wiki bod edits their own entry it's wrong.

      I know this is /. a place where reason comes a distant second to dogma, but sheesh, really. At least having it every which way means you're never wrong, right?

    10. Re:Write vs Edit by timster · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Blocking search engines from Wikipedia is impossible. The mirrors you speak of are generally not run by the Wikimedia Foundation; many of them exist to gather ad revenue and so the owners are unlikely to block search engines. Wikipedia's content is under an open license so there is no way they can exercise control over mirrors, and if the mirrors are going to be in the search engines anyway, what's the point of a robots.txt?

      I guess until somebody comes up with a search engine that ignores popular sites that a lot of people link to, you're SOL.

      --
      I have seen the future, and it is inconvenient.
    11. Re:Write vs Edit by amigabill · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Is your bio posted somewhere that other people can edit? If so, someone might edit yours to speak of child molesting or something like that. Why should you be limited to placing comments in the story's forum and waiting for someone to come along, decide he believes you and edit the bio atricle on your behalf instead of correcting it yourself directly?

    12. Re:Write vs Edit by mdwh2 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Man, then He-Man better keep a closer eye on his bio

      It looks like He-Man already has been keeping a closer on his bio - "most powerful man in the universe"? Using words like "evildoers"? Such POV edits are why people shouldn't be editing their own bios in the first place!

  14. i feel libelous by sardonic2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    WAIT! didn't that dude who was involved in the murder of Kennedy change his own Biography? He's the one that started all this shit

    1. Re:i feel libelous by w00d · · Score: 2, Funny

      WAIT! didn't that dude who was involved in the murder of Kennedy change his own Biography?

      Lyndon Johnson has been dead for more than 30 years; there's no way he could edit his bio on Wikipedia...

  15. About WP:AUTO by thephotoman · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually, he didn't create the article, but has just edited it for factual information. This is perfectly kosher, even if it is a faux paus socially. Other notable WP contributors have edited pages about themselves, providing factual information only.

    Furthermore, it's his website, he can do whatever the hell he wants with it.

    --
    Haec merda tauri est. Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.
    1. Re:About WP:AUTO by geoffspear · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Furthermore, it's his website, he can do whatever the hell he wants with it.

      It's fine for you to believe that, as long as you're not also one of the people who belives that WP should be taken seriously as a source of unbiased research.

      Personally, I don't care if he edits the article on oxygen to claim it has an atomic weight of 600, and then locks the entry from further editing. It's his website, and I don't use it for research. Those who do take it seriously should have second thoughts if he shares your attitude, though.

      --
      Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
  16. Re:Integrity by Brothernone · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You telling me you've never changed the rules? you've never cheated, never abused the grey line? Integrety is in the eye of the beholder my freind. Morality has no effect on the internet, if it did, half of e-commerce wouldn't function. In the long run, what does it really matter what he writes about himself, or what he changes about himself? The fact that he changed information may be contrary to their "Guidelines", but really how bonding are guidelines? Acording to Cpt. Balbosa guidelines don't really mean anything, and he's right. What this all boils down to: If you think Wikipedia is enugh of a source for reliable information to be worried about integrity, you have issues.

    --
    He whom you called four-eyes yesterday, you call Sir tomorrow.
  17. That's an amusing trick by Demona · · Score: 4, Funny

    considering Mr. Wales was shot dead last week. Apparently he's editing his own entry from the grave. (Sweet Lord, do those clowns at the Register need to get laid.)

    --
    Fuck Slashdot
  18. you are an ass by Ender+Ryan · · Score: 2, Insightful
    He violated nothing. Not rules, nor even the Wikipedia guidelines. He didn't write his own bio, he just edited out false information. Writing and editing are not the same thing by any stretch.

    The only person who I can honestly say shows any integrity on the matter is Jimmy Wales, as he's not sinking to the pathetic level of his critics.

    Way to go, Lord Dweomer, for getting sucked in and making an ass of yourself, spreading misinformation. You even got modded up for it. People have no fucking shame.

    --
    Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken - Tyler Durden
    1. Re:you are an ass by TubeSteak · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You'd think that since he's the FOUNDER, he would have some wikipedia equivalent of root.

      In other words, why wasn't he able to edit his own entry without having his edits tracked?

      Like you, I think the fact that he left his actions apparent for anyone to follow shows that he didn't think there was anything wrong with his edits.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
  19. Wikipedia is flawed by Oldsmobile · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think Wikipedia is flawed. It is based on NPOV but there is no such thing. This is discussed in depth by post modernistis (who I don't agree with on everything, but they have valid points).

    The problem is, that any point of view is in some way a personal point of view, there are always nuances, deletions and viewpoints that stress one thing over another. It is simply not possible to write about something in a neutral way. Even netural is a point of view.

    However, I don't think this has ever been a problem untill it became a sort of myth that there is actually something caled a neutral point of view. This, I think the whole idea is quite recent and arrived with modern newspapers.

    It still isn't a problem -I say, let all viewpoints be recorded, atleast all well written and well sourced viewpoints. I think it is fairer to the reader if a point of view is out in the open rather than hidden behind claimed netrality.

    In the end, it is much better to have several points of view than one point of view that claims to be netural.

    A mountain may appear a different shape when viewed from various angles. That doesn't mean that the mountain has no shape at all.

    We are much better served by varying viewpoints.

    --
    Some say he is made with ascii, others that he is eyeballed daily by millions. All we know is, he is known as the Sig
  20. Is this a good policy? by massysett · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The article actually invokes some interesting questions which the discussion here isn't quite getting at. Wikipedia has a policy/guideline that says it's ill-advised for persons to edit their own biographies. The question is, is this a good policy/guideline?

    On the one hand, Wales' case shows why it might be a good policy to advise against people editing their own biographies. He insists that the other man was not a "co-founder" of Wikipedia. Wales is in a position to know this, and it seems to me to be a bad idea to bar knowledgeable people from editing articles. Clearly Wales is knowledgeable about his own life.

    On the other hand, it looks like Wales was trying to rewrite history. It appears likely that his Bomis Babes was at least so-called "adult entertainment," the modern euphamism for porn. He often removed these references to porn entirely. This seems to be injecting falsehood and bias into Wikipedia.

    A lot of the Slashdot reaction has been "why does this matter" but it really does invoke some interesting questions if you stop for a minute to think about it.

  21. He should have... by Brandybuck · · Score: 2, Insightful

    He should have edited the entry anonymously from a public library. No one cares if Wikipedia has random anonymous edits.

    --
    Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
  22. Re:Pirates by Sabotage · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think you mean Elizabeth Swann:

    IMDB page for Pirates of the Caribbean

  23. There is a saying.. by Kutsal · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do as the Priest says, not what he does..

    Sounds eerily familiar?...

    --
    Karma: Bad (but who really cares anyway?)
  24. Not quite. by CarpetShark · · Score: 4, Informative

    Ermm, you're forgetting that he is one of the masses too. No one is particularly anonymous. Nor is he special enough that his entries wouldn't be changed if others thought they were wrong. So, he's just another peer, contributing to a great site. Nothing new there for Wikipedia :)

  25. Revisiting John Seigenthaler Sr. by TerraFrost · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I'm sure everyone knows who John Seigenthaler Sr. is - the guy whose recent criticisms have been the point of several slashdot.org articles...

    Anyway, a common response wikipedians made to his complaints was that he should edit his own article if he felt it was factually inaccurate. If Jimbo Wales is in the wrong for editing his article, then I suppose all the wikipedians who suggested John Seigenthaler edit his own article are in the wrong, too?

  26. The latest attempt at silencing wikipedia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is just the latest FUD piece from a webzine attacking wikipedia. Many in the internet media have been attacking Wikipedia because it threatens the viability of their businesses. Despite millions of denizens' acceptence and support of wikipedia, legacy webzines continue to try and paint wikipedia as this evil rogue web venture hell bent on distorting truth. This is the sixth salvo from Wired this month alone ( http://search.wired.com/wnews/default.asp?query=wi kipedia ).

  27. Wow, lots of anger so far... by deacon · · Score: 5, Informative
    All modded +5 of course...

    And not much analysis of facts on the ground.

    Let's Begin:

    Claim 1 from Wired:

    Public edit logs reveal that Wales has changed his own Wikipedia bio 18 times, deleting phrases describing former Wikipedia employee Larry Sanger as a co-founder of the site.

    If Larry Sanger was a co-founder, (I don't know and don't have time to check) deleting that fact is at the very least petty and vindictive. It does not really matter if it is or is not against some "code" or "guideline". Giving credit where credit is due is the right thing to do. Deleting credit over and over again... well, you will each come to your own conclusion.

    Claim 2 from Wired:

    Cadenhead said other Wikipedia editors described Bomis Babes as "soft-core pornography," but Wales changed it to "adult content section" on Sept. 4, and later twice removed references to pornography, instead describing it as "Bomis Babes blog based on Slashcode."

    Going to Bomis Babes here: http://www.bomis.com/tree/babe gives me two sponsored links at the top of the page, cut and pasted one of them below:

    Searching for Porn?

    Sponsored Link

    Find the Best Subscription Sites Search XXX Videos, Pics & More

    FantasyFinder.com/CreditCardRequire

    So at the very least the site has no problem with advertising for porn. Trying to find some pics, I find links to ring sites, cut and pasted below:

    Hot Asian Sucking Whores

    Sponsored Link

    Cute Japanese School Girls Sex $14.95/Mo

    Huge. No Limits. Ad Free!

    www.guba.net

    Still no pics. Maybe the site is just a search engine for porn, with no pics? Beats me, and with the lack of immediate pics I don't care, but "porn related" seems a fair claim.

  28. you're kidding me wiki lose integrity??? never! by netsavior · · Score: 2, Funny

    what kind of workd do we live in where we can't trust the accuracy or integrity of wikipedia?

  29. Umm, has anyone looked up "autobiography" by NotQuiteReal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You know, the key feature of an autobiography is for one to write about one's self.

    --
    This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
  30. when he's dead by srblackbird · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just edit it when he's dead, than he can't change it !

    --
    "The test of the morality of a society is what it does for it's children." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  31. Bomis by David+Rolfe · · Score: 3, Informative

    I don't know that Bomis can be called porn-related any more than the Internet can be called porn-related. Further, Bomis is no more a search engine for porn than ODP is a search engine for porn.

    http://www.bomis.com/about/bomis_faq.html

    What is Bomis.Com?

    Bomis.Com is an Internet ring index and portal site. We index web pages into Bomis Rings. We also offer features such as free email, weather, news, and email discussion lists.

    --
    Read Heinlein's 1953 Revolt in 2100, now more than ever.
  32. Is any of it wrong? by logicnazi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If not I don't really see the issue. Not editing your own bio isn't some sort of absolute commandment or moral principle, it's just a guideline to prevent fights and unpleasent disputes. Often people are inclined to remove true statements or overestimate their own importance in their bios and it is alot easier to tell them they shouldn't be editing their own bio than have to argue with them and tell them they aren't as cool as they think they are.

    If Wales was adding paragraphs praising himself, or if it is true that this other guy is a co-founder (rather than employee) then there is a problem. Otherwise what is the issue? So long as his edits ultimately further the accuracy of the encyclopedia that's great. The entire point of wikipedia is that you don't validate the editor but their edits.

    There are always different rules that apply to the site manager/owner than the rest of the users. These are sometimes because the owner needs more freedom/control than the other users or in cases like this because you have to trust the owner no matter what. If Wales wants to skew wikipedia he has *way* more power to do this than any other user so you need to trust him anyway. The question is whether he is abusing that power and so far this doesn't seem to show that he is.

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  33. Beware thy words by orzetto · · Score: 2, Informative

    Do you realise you inspired this?

    They also got the "the cock" error with'em...

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  34. William Randolph Hearst - not forgotten by Magickcat · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you try to add to the article any discussion that Bomis may be pornography, you find yourself banned, and the article is reverted immediately. My comments in the discussion section were also removed a number of times - so you aren't even allowed to argue in favour of a differing point of view.

    I tried to add that some people believed that Bomis is in fact not "glamour photography" but "pornography", and found myself accused of vandalism and given the boot.

    The sheer doublethink in the article is absurd.

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    Si tacuisses philosophus mansisses. If you had kept quiet, you would have remained a philosopher.

  35. zOMG MOD PARENT DOWN!!1 by Jesus_666 · · Score: 3, Funny

    He's lying to us! There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!

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  36. Zonk is responsible for the misleading post. by brian0918 · · Score: 2, Informative

    According to Carnildo, who submitted the post:

    "My original submission described it as 'against Wikipedia's guideline' -- Zonk must have decided that 'in violation of Wikipedia's policy' sounded better."

    Is it normal for Slashdot's editors to change submitters' comments into falsehoods? Now, if only Slashdot had an "edit" button....

  37. Jimmy Wales makes self-promotional edits by Gregory+Rider · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is something which I have been tracking for quite some time. Most of the edits Jimbo makes to his own biography are not for the purpose of removing personal attacks, such as "I love the cock", but rather to promote his involvement in the creation of Wikipedia or downplay the fact that Bomis Babes was a softcore pornography website.

    Wales has gone so far as to have incriminating information about him and Bomis removed from the database entirely by Wikimedia developers; meaning it will not appear in either the edit history or the deleted items history.

    Here are some examples which have not (yet) been deleted from the history outright:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=27799694&oldid=27799660
    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=27799453&oldid=27756307
    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=26756907&oldid=26709690
    Above, Wales discredits Larry Sanger as co-founder as Wikipedia.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=26702273&oldid=26658959
    Discredits Sanger, strikes pornography reference.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=25994722&oldid=25960410
    Eliminates reference to Bomis Babes erotica section.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wa les&diff=22555355&oldid=22551871
    Eliminates reference to Bomis Babes softcore porn.


    Mind you, if anyone else on Wikipedia violated this policy, or "guideline", they would be nailed to the cross, as has been done in the past.

  38. I edited my own entry... by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Informative

    I edited my own Wikipedia entry because it wasn't written from a neutral point of view. I see nothing wrong with doing that.

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