So ... I finally made time to visit Wikipedia. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. I compared it to the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica and there really wasn't any comparison.
Wikipedia was easier to search and had far more links to additional information. And getting back to the original information once you used these links was easy. I entered a number of searches and always came up with something useful and the headings made it easy to skim and find information.
The thing I really didn't like about Britannica was the ads. They were distracting and irrelevant. Getting logged in was a hassle. It was slower, had fewer links to additional information and very few headings. To be honest, it was harder to find what you were looking for in this traditional power-house of encyclopedias.
So now my curiosity is peaked and I'm hoping to find out more ...
How did Wikipedia start?
How did they get people to contribute in the first place? And how do they get people to continue to contribute?
Do they have any idea how much it changes each day?
How do they check for accuracy? (They must if they can compare their accuracy to that of Britannica)
Did they set up empty pages with topics in the beginning or what? I can't imagine how it came to have so many topics in it!
Who figures out all those links?!?!!!
I have always dismissed Wikipedia because people questioned it's accuracy. Now I'm kind of amazed by the whole thing.
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Welcome aboard :)
Wikipedia is God's modern miracle, at your fingertips. I will follow wikipedia blindfolded if it ever asks me to.
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