Wikipedia – Convenient Research Tool or Slander Device?

by Sarah Harper

Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has been the stand-by of people seeking easy-to-find research online. With just a few keyboard strokes, one can find almost unlimited information on a range of subjects (in more than 250 languages) in one database. Users can also add articles and edit existing ones, making Wikipedia one of the largest collaborative websites in the world.

However, Wikipedia has gained a lot of negative attention in recent months after an anonymous Wikipedia user added inaccurate information to Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin’s bio on Wikipedia just hours before her candidacy was revealed to the public.

Politics aside, the incident drew attention to a significant issue: to what degree can we trust Wikipedia as a research tool?

Understanding Wikipedia – Benefits and Limitations

According to Wikipedia’s “about wikipedia” page, the website is not intended to be an exhaustive database or a source of definitive information. Rather, it is a forum for presenting various contributors’ research on a given topic. If there is conflicting research on a topic, the article is tagged as “disputed”, and the contributors (“Wikipedians”) can discuss their points of view and attempt to reach a consensus on the article’s “talk page”.

Safeguards against Inaccuracy

Wikipedia safeguards against false information by requiring that all statements be verifiable (by legitimate sources) and that all sources be cited. It also maintains a policy of adding only existing research (no new ideas) and removing sub-par information. Since the goal of Wikipedia is to present a collection of information from various sources, articles with numerous contributors are considered to be of the highest quality and are granted “featured” status.

Drawbacks of Wikipedia

One of the drawbacks of Wikipedia is that users who do not understand the nature of the database may place too much trust in the site’s accuracy. Another is that, since the website is interactive and is edited on an ongoing basis, inaccurate statements cannot be caught immediately (as may have been the case with Sarah Palin’s bio). Finally, since one does not have to have any credentials whatsoever to contribute to Wikipedia, there is no way to verify his or her motives for editing the Wiki.

Google™ Phone Takes on the iPhone™ - Let the Mobile Internet Devices Games Begin

by Sarah Harper

Google™, the Search Engine of all search engines, is known for keeping up with web-based technological advances of almost every kind. Mobile Internet Devices (MID’s) are no exception. Last week, in New York, lucky audiences were permitted to preview the company’s latest brainchild: the G1 phone, an HTC phone for T-Mobile. The G1 phone is a much-anticipated advance – according to one previewer – over Apple®’s iPhone™. Is this just another communication device, or are we witnessing the unveiling of the MID of the future? Let the Mobile Internet Devices games begin….

What is the G1?

According to reporter Scott Moritz, reporter for Fortune Magazine who covered the New York City unveiling, the G1 is the first Android-powered phone. As a MID, it possesses capabilities of both a phone (touch-screen with swipe capability, a small trackball-type button for scrolling, clear sound, good reception, and texting) and the Internet (web access, GPS, online interactive maps, and free e-mail without a data plan).

Similarities between the G1 and iPhone™

Both phones have:

A large touch-screen, about the same size as iPhone™ Shifting orientation (useful if the user flips the phone on its side)

Differences between the G1 and iPhone™

Unlike the iPhone™, the G1 phone:

Has a physical keyboard under the screen

Is lighter and thicker (about ¾ inch thick, vs. ½ in. thick iPhone™)

Has different pricing packages and plans

Has a different zoom apparatus

Allows dragging and dropping of pictures and text

Who Wins the Gold Metal?

What better way than to check out the G1 phone for yourself? It’ll be available to the public on October 22, 2008.