Wikipedia: Friend or Foe?

[papa_levante]

I think "Friend."

The Wiki people won't let us get away with posting crap on the page without a source, but I guess it all depends on the realiability of the source.

Thoughts?

 

[Erin]

I actually used Wiki this morning... printed out a few things about Ralph Lauren, fashion, and, of all things, tornado alley... Fun stuff. Not perfect, but more informative than anything else.

 

[xPedro]

Friend

Wikipedia helps me w/ my homework and my paper

 

[monkey siesta]

quite honestly, I think wikipedia is not half as bad as its reputation.

even if there is the occasional erratic/biased bit of info it is outnumbered by the sheer amount of correct and well-written articles and it has helped me so much for school and hand-outs that I had to prepare, especially in terms of structuration of certain topics.

sometimes I also like to just browse through it when I'm bored and read what I find interesting so the fact that most of the articles tend to be not overly detailed (which is what people frequently criticise) is an advantage in this case and makes it easier to understand certain issues.

 

[nextnewface]

Friend. It can help you learn very generally about one subject and then if you have to do research about said subject, it can give you ideas on what kind of information to look for. I mainly use it to get a general overview of something I'm not familiar with

 

[mcflyandgemmafan]

Friend. It's a good way to find basic outlines on almost anything.

 

[yourbestfriend]

Good for general info but would never use/can't use for sourcing material. Gives a good general direction into what I need to look for, ideas, and just learning about things I don't know about.

 

[eternitygoddess]

One of the three GODS OF THE INTERNET.

I bow to wikipedia. It has everything. That's where I do all my research.

 

[candysweet21]

I love Wikipedia! I think its very useful.

 

[kissmesweet]

Both... You just have to look at its references; sometimes when you have assignments, the references are a great place to start.

 

[kriszti.md]

FRIEND friend friend friend friend. I just love it, I couldn't live without wiki

 

[Blondes]

Like others have said it's good for quick general info on a subject, but using it as a source for a school assignment or a paper is a really bad idea. The sources list at the bottom of the page usually gives you some ideas of real sources to use.

There should be a name for the wikipedia equivalent of Godwin's law, if you ask me.

 

[smartarse]

Friend


i rarely use it and if i do just a quick reference guide for me.

but using it as a source for a school assignment or a paper is a really bad idea. The sources list at the bottom of the page usually gives you some ideas of real sources to use.

back then when i was in school we call it "cliff notes" [standard cheat sheet for doing reports] but the consequences big. been there, done that, failed for it. and never did it again.
*i too, do not recommend wiki for essays, thesis, dissertation.

 

[smartarse]

Friend

... i'll do Wiki for a quickie

 

[rubyfixed]

Friend! I think this whole "Wikipedia's inaccurate" claim is bogus. Yes, It is open-source; thus, the information isn't always accurate, but for quick pop-culture references and other little fun facts, it is perfect!

 

[gius]

Friend

Totally agree with Blondes
It's good for starting up a research ... and leading you to more sources/info

not good to have it as your only source though

 

[Miwi]

Friend.
But I remember once that I needed something for Biology, because we wrote a test next day, and I used something from Wiki and it was wrong.

 

[Uchina]

Awesome for background/general info, and clarification. If you hand in a paper using it as a source, however, your teacher/prof (omg) will NEVER take you seriously again. Here is what you do:

Go to wiki. Use the source that wiki uses. If THAT source is also sketchy (most internet sources are...) repeat until you get a textual/web journal.
DONE XD

 

[Ziegfeld Girl]

Friend but I would never use it as a reference for uni assignments. However, a lot of the information is footnoted so you can also go back to the original source and determine its reliability. I use it a lot for general information about things from countries to movie stars.

 

[indie]

I always thought it was friend, but then again if wiki says dutch (nevermind it's not a country) is scandinavia then something must be wrong....

no offense smartarse