Saturday, 26th April 2008

The Wisdom of the Chaperones: Digg, Wikipedia, and the myth of Web 2.0 democracy

The Wisdom of the Chaperones: Digg, Wikipedia, and the myth of Web 2.0 democracy

It's getting harder to be a Wikipedia-hater. The user-generated and -edited online encyclopedia—which doesn't even require contributors to register—somehow holds its own against the Encyclopedia Britannica in accuracy, a Nature study concluded, and has many times more entries. But even though people are catching up to the idea that Wikipedia is a force for good, there are still huge misconceptions about what makes the encyclopedia tick. While Wikipedia does show the creative potential of online communities, it's a mistake to assume the site owes its success to the wisdom of the online crowd.

Social-media sites like Wikipedia and Digg are celebrated as shining examples of Web democracy, places built by millions of Web users who all act as writers, editors, and voters. In reality, a small number of people are running the show. According to researchers in Palo Alto, 1 percent of Wikipedia users are responsible for about half of the site's edits. The site also deploys bots—supervised by a special caste of devoted users—that help standardize format, prevent vandalism, and root out folks who flood the site with obscenities. This is not the wisdom of the crowd. This is the wisdom of the chaperones.

See also: Power of the Few vs. Wisdom of the Crowd: Wikipedia and the Rise of the Bourgeoisie (PDF; 219 KB)

Source: Slate.com

Category:

• Search News (ResourceShelf)
• Web 2.0 (ResourceShelf)

Views: 288

FreePint

FreePint supports the value of information in the enterprise. Read more »

Latest FreePint Articles:

• Big Data In Action: Epilogue
  Wednesday, 19th June 2013

  The FreePint Series: Big Data in Action wrapped up with a global webinar. Victor Camlek reviews the highlights of the webinar, recent interviews with key big data experts Attunity, Connotate, Linguamatics and Opera Solutions, and offers a final view of the Series.

• Mobile Deployment: Which Challenges for Content Vendors?
  Wednesday, 19th June 2013

  Content vendors and publishers are facing a raft of challenges as they face increasing pressure to deliver content to a wide variety mobile devices - and in a way that's engaging and entertaining as well as informative, easy-to-use and optimised for mobile workflow. Robin Neidorf reports on recent discussions in FreePint's Community of Practice: Mobile Deployment in the Enterprise which delved into the challenges of build, buy or partner and development platforms.

• Information Professionals Recharge at AIIP in Denver
  Wednesday, 19th June 2013

  Jan Knight spotlights some of the best sessions from the recent AIIP (Association of Independent Information Professionals) Conference, an annual event which brings together speakers and delegates interested in the unique business development and marketing needs of independent information pros. The highlights range from social capital to socialisation (tips for better small talk skills) and a provocative talk on the Power of the Unpopular. Other practical tips were gained on primary research skills, using newsletters for sales generation, creating superior websites and improving negotiation skills. 

• ... more ...

All Family Articles »
Family Articles by Category »

A FreePint Subscription delivers articles and reports that support your organisation's information practice, content and strategy.

Start the conversation about a subscription by
completing our online form: "How can FreePint help?"

FreePint Testimonials

" FreePint has been an excellent resource to both myself and colleagues for furthering insight, bringing together snapshots of easily digestible ..."

Read more testimonials and supply yours »