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Wikipedia To Require Editing Approval
The NY Times reports on an epochal move by Wikipedia — within weeks, the formerly freewheeling encyclopedia will begin requiring editor approval for all edits to articles about living people. "The new feature, called 'flagged revisions,' will require that an experienced volunteer editor for Wikipedia sign off on any change made by the public before it can go live. Until the change is approved — or in Wikispeak, flagged — it will sit invisibly on Wikipedia's servers, and visitors will be directed to the earlier version. ... The new editing procedures... have been applied to the entire German-language version of Wikipedia during the last year... Although Wikipedia has prevented anonymous users from creating new articles for several years now, the new flagging system crosses a psychological Rubicon. It will divide Wikipedia's contributors into two classes — experienced, trusted editors, and everyone else — altering Wikipedia's implicit notion that everyone has an equal right to edit entries."
...make a fork of it?
Thanks Netcraft!
Everyone edit all the biographies to say that people died in 1997. Then we can say whatever we want!
Wikipedia may be working their way into having stringent editorial standards, but slashdot will always remain free and unencumbered by such things.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
The whole [citation needed] thing was a reaction to criticism by main-stream press and political figures who can't understand that facts are NOT handed down from 'on high' and that sometimes, the mob can be right if they leave the knowledge to the experts in the field that swoop down and make critical edits to a fleshed out piece, transforming an OK article into a good one.
[citation needed]
http://twitter.com/OLDTELEGRAM
What Wikipedia needs is a moderation system. This will ensure that only the best informed, most intelligent, and highest quality material makes it through. Just like Slashdot. Oh wait.
My SIG is a P226
"and will inevitably lead to its horrific demise, followed by the dark ages of technology"
The goose-stepping hordes, saluting and chanting "NPOV! NPOV! Heil Jimbo!" beneath the burning jigsaw-world emblem.
The border checks: "Citation required, wikizen!"
The secret bunkers: "Your anonymous friends in 4chan are walking into a trap. Now witness the processing power of this FULLY ARMED AND OPERATIONAL datacenter!"
The inevitable non-aggression pact with Scientology, followed by the antimatter bombing of the Vatican and the invasion of Russia.
It's all in Nostradamus, folks!
You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
And in other news, our glorious leader has raised the chocolate ration to 25 grams, from the already generous 30 grams of last month.
Did I miss a slashdot article? Steve Jobs owns Wikipedia now?
About 4 or 5 years ago I was teaching a class and demonstrating Wikipedia was part of the class. There was a projector in the room and this was all on a large screen in front of everyone. I showed the Bush page and several others, then for some reason went back to the Bush page. In the 5 minutes we were looking at it someone had replaced the entire page with the word "WANKER". The students went into hysterics.
I have no doubts that every student in that class since understood why professors told them that they shouldn't cite Wikipedia as a source.
Do you never go anywhere without the Internet?
As often as possible.
However the set of places that don't have my desk is even larger.