Know it All

1. The main point of the article Know it All by Stacy Schiff is to bring to light the ideology and history behind Wikipedia. While not the most reliable source of reference on the web, Wikipedia certainly has the greatest number of viewers and editors of any reference source currently available, and it is the largest and most readily available (it is free and available worldwide). This article discusses the development and history behind the database, as well as the setup of users, editors, admins and owners, and the knowledge-spreading philosophy behind the huge, free encyclopedia.

2. Last year, Nature published a survey comparing forty-two entries on scientific topics on Wikipedia with their counterparts in Encyclopædia Britannica. According to the survey, Wikipedia had four errors for every three of Britannica’s, a result that, oddly, was hailed as a triumph for the upstart. Such exercises in nitpicking are relatively meaningless, as no reference work is infallible. Britannica issued a public statement refuting the survey’s findings, and took out a half-page advertisement in the Times, which said, in part, “Britannica has never claimed to be error-free. We have a reputation not for unattainable perfection but for strong scholarship, sound judgment, and disciplined editorial review.”

I think this passage is important not only because it shows Wikipedia is nearly as reliable a source as any, but also because it cites the source of the data that supports this statement. The passage doesn't just say, "Wikipedia is as reliable a source as any," but rather says, "Wikipedia is almost as reliable a source as any and here are the numbers and here is the place where the numbers were found." The supporting evidence makes for a much stronger argument.

3. “Wikipedia is to Britannica as rock and roll is to easy listening,” [Wales] suggested.


While this quote does not directly relate to the design elements of the two encyclopedias, it does describe the chasm in the philosophies behind them - which plays largely into the design. Britannica is a professional, well-written encyclopedia which exists for the main purpose of knowledge distribution. Wikipedia, on the other hand, is made to be simple, accessible, and available to people all around the world. Britannica, therefore, has a much more sophisticated and lofty design, while Wikipedia's is simple and clean. The search and editing functions on Wikipedia are easy to use and find, while Britannica is not editable to the general masses (despite the expertise of many in the general masses) and searches using keywords instead of article title. Altogether, Britannica is a more reliable source with more backings and a loftier design that makes it more difficult to use, but at less cost than the trust errors with Wikipedia. However, Wikipedia is easy to use, accessible, and faster than Britannica, and only marginally less reliable.