Wikipedia is on the cusp of making some changes that will likely make it a better product, but which also calls into question the idea that anyone should be allowed to edit regardless of expertise. Essentially, they’ve agreed that authority matters, and that expertise in an area trumps many other things. I wrote extensively about wikipedia for a bit, with the realization that the controls might be a bit loose when my son was contributing to the indie music section as a 15 yr old. Nothing against 15 yr olds, of course.
I see this as a good evolution on their part, and one which strikes a good balance. Here is hoping they can work through the changes without causing huge internal strife. While I was deeply skeptical about Wikipedia for a while, the guts of the service are good, and this is a step in the right direction. It also reflects the right move in that it explicitly recognizes that there needs to be a better balance between fact and opinion, and that someone (usually a subject matter expert, as defined by having multiple sources) gets to decide. I’m all of more fact and less opinion!
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