I keep asking myself how you Digital Natives will receive these detailed explanations about media you take for granted. But then I remind myself that you may use the media, and you are surely familiar with Wikipedia, but I doubt you would be able explain how it works clearly and concisely. Want to try? Can you write a brief paragraph that explains how Wikipedia works?
You don't have to REALLY write this. But try it inside your head as you unload the dishwasher for your mom.
Shirky did inspire me to register with Wikipedia, and I'm going to write an article about Mayfair Reads this summer. I challenge any of you to contribute an article as well.
My daughter tutors this little kid -- a 6th grader -- and he was explaining to us why Wikipedia was unreliable and evil. I guess this is the perception of some people, but according to Shirky, this is a false perception.
With having read many books on technology, I know the ins and outs of Wikipedia and how it works. The idea of it is very clever, and should receive more recognition that it does. I have not read Here Comes Everybody, but I agree with his statement that the perception of Wikipedia is bad and evil is incorrect. This is because Wikipedia is very open and allows many users to edit its information which can be abused as with many tools. Wikipedia has very good information, but it is usually teachers who instill that Wikipedia is a bad source because of its inconsistency. Wikipedia is good for learning, but not always for writing.
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