Wikipedia: Replies to Common Objections

By leelefever on December 3, 2004 - 11:25am.

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I'm getting more and more fascinated with wikis. I still have some issues and I don't think they are the answer to all our prayers, but damn they are fascinating to me.

Perhaps most fascinating are the impressions and objections people have about wikis and how "the wiki way" seems to account for many of them. In my mind the wiki keepers work like an invisible hand to move the wiki forward even in the midst of what can seem like chaos to the outsider.

Of course, the poster child is Wikipedia, so I was keen to see a page linked from Nancy White's Furl Page: Wikipedia: Replies to common objections

It outlines the most common objections people have to wikis and provides responses that address the concerns. I think it's a good intro to the "wiki way".

Some people have strong reactions to Wikipedia. Some are nearly instantly hooked, and they love the idea; others think the idea is so absurd as not to require any serious consideration. There are a number of very common criticisms of the Wikipedia project, which we try to answer here. (See also the Criticisms page for exact quotations of prominent critics.) Many of the criticisms levelled at Wikipedia are not unique to it, but are due to the fact that Wikipedia is, at bottom, a wiki. Many of the same objections have been made to other wikis.