So, I have been asked to do a Wikipedia edit this week. What has been so hard for me is my thought that Wikipedia is a garbage in-garbage out device. Anyone can post and anyone can edit. While I am not so presumptuous to say that I am an expert about any given subject, there are several where I can usually hold my own. I say usually because when I went searching for the topic to edit, I was met with PhD level knowledge about everything I encountered. Either what I knew was already included or the article was so sophisticated that I did not want to disrupt their flow.
It is said that a generalist is someone who knows a little about a lot of subjects but does not master any. I guess from my experience that I am truly a generalist. I'm the one in the family who gets the trivia right or they threaten to send to Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? but all my factoids are already known. I am going to keep looking for that miniscule area where I can impact and post my changes....
Although I still view Wikipedia as a lesser academic resource, I think it is truly perfect for finding out information quickly and then sourcing elsewhere for more academic pursuits.
More later...
Update: I found a subject which although I don't have all the citations, I lived thru and have contributed a post. My family owned a toy store during the 1980s and stuffed animals are near and dear to us. I posted to the Gund page - Gund is a manufacturer of premium stuffed animals most notably known for Snuffles. So, I had success adding my two cents to this site.
CH
No comments:
Post a Comment