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Wikipedia Is Not Amused By Entry For xkcd-Coined Word
ObsessiveMathsFreak writes "Today's xkcd comic introduced an unusual word — malamanteau — by giving its supposed definition on Wikipedia. The only trouble is that the word (as well as its supposed wiki page) did not in fact exist. Naturally, much ado ensued at the supposed wiki page, which was swiftly created in response to the comic. This article has more on how the comic and the confusion it caused have put the Net in a tizzy. It turns out that a malamanteau is a portmanteau of portmanteau and malapropism, but also a malapropism of portmanteau. All this puts Wikipedia in the confusing position of not allowing a page for an undefined word whose meaning is defined via the Wikipedia page for that word — and now I have to lie down for a moment."
Compared to the constant stream of Colbert Report fans screwing with Wikipedia?
I wouldn't put the XKCD thing in contrast with Colbert Report stuff - to me, it's just two different examples of the same thing - people inciting vandalism on Wikipedia.
Basically, I think it's a pretty shitty thing to do.
Bow-ties are cool.
Isn't there a wikipedia article on the fact that people that use wikipedia are idiots?
Heh heh, I was just thinking about what you just said and you know what I came up with that I thought was really clever?
Your joke is about an article that doesn't exist, right?
Well, I can create that article! Wouldn't it be funny if the article from your joke really did exist? DERP!
Isn't that a great idea? I thought of it all myself.
Bow-ties are cool.
3 out of those 4 aren't even jokes
Does Wikipedia -lose- anything if it accepts an article that is a word coined by xkcd?
Respectability.
Now, whether they had any in the first place is a completely separate argument.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Because XKCD isn't funny.
Really? Yeah it is very funny to me.
Nah, just a concise summary that easily dismisses a blowhard who likes to hear himself talk. Not everybody who thinks they are an articulate speaker really are articulate or espouse ideas that people care about. So, in addition to the those with the attention span of a 2 year old, you also have people who just don't care or have already dismissed the speaker as the aforementioned blowhard. And no, I didn't really make it past the second paragraph. You didn't look like you were going anywhere, and the journey looked dull.