User:CPMcE/correspondence
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[edit] On critique of Wikipedia
As a couple of others have mentioned, I came to this page from a link on Wikipedia:Criticism_of_Wikipedia.
I think there's some valid points raised here, (mostly by Jason), but it's rather distressing to see that the vast majority of it consists of a rant from ONE ex-user, on ONE topic.
I refer of course, to SummerFR.
First off, your idea, Summer, that Wikipedia and Co. are somehow going to lead to the rise of another Hitler, (presumably with Jimbo Wales as the next Fuhrer), is plainly BATTY, if not SICK.
As for Wikipedia somehow polluting the web, coming out in search pages, hey, type -Wikipedia in your search, problem solved. Is it really that hard?
Whenever I do a search, I'm often annoyed as to how many results are merely just adverts, say for Amazon, who want to sell me a book on the subject. I can always type -amazon, but I still get loads of other booksellers.
Still, does it mean I think that Amazon should be banned? Or that Amazon are the next Hitler? Nope...
Or I do a search and I get a whole screed of blogs, where all varieties of nut-job, answerable only to themselves, wax lyrical for page after page on their pet subject.
Still, should blogs be banned? Nope.
I kinda think that SPAM is a rather more insiduous problem on the web. Still, I can live with it.
The idea that Wikipedia as an organisation, or Jimmy Wales, have some kind of tight censorship over the site, seems rather preposterous to me, and doesn't reflect my experience.
According to Wikipedia, there are over 800,000 entries on WP, with 600,000 contributors from all over the world.
Could Jimmy Wales really vet all of this?
Currently there's a debate going on on WP regarding whether or not adverts should be allowed.
I've stuck a {{noads}} tag on my user page to show a banner saying that I don't want ads, and automatically adding my name to the WPians who don't want ads. There's a discussion page on the subject, where lo-and-behold, JW appears as one of the few who's not entirely against ads. But his contribution is just in there as one of many. Hardly dictatorial.
And as for JW being some kind of lib dem fanatic: doesn't seem to tally with his stated admiration for Ayn Rand...
It appears to me, Summer, that you just went about the whole thing the wrong way. After posting, I'll have a look at the Jeb Bush page and see what is left of your suggestions. I'll also have a look at the discussion page to see if you have left any remarks there. (Unless of course evil Hitler-Wales has deleted them all {evil laugh}). And I'll add a link on the discussion page to this site, so that future editors can see the your criticisms, if they feel so-inclined.
All the stuff you wanted about the school project could have gone on a separate page, dedicated to the school.
IMO, Your contributions would go down well on an election sheet for Mr. Bush, or a hagiography, but they do strike this reader as very point-of-view.
I DO agree with you that WP is NOT an encyclopedia in the full sense (I don't care what JW says - I'm free to ignore him). To me, it's a tremendous forum for the exchange of ideas - the discussion pages are sometimes every bit as interesting as the articles. Reading them, one sees that there is a huge range of points of view - but there also appears to be a solid core of contributors who ensure that anything added has to be backed up by solid references, and a general consensus that stuff isn't deleted without prior discussion, and that solid factual stuff isn't deleted at all. (The facility to add pages to your personal watch list is useful, as is the ability to check the history of edits). I do agree with Jason that WP shouldn't allow anonymous editors - it doesn't cost anything - and it's my experience that they're the ones who add the POV stuff, plain ridiculous stuff, or just silly vandalism.
Maybe it might seem a trivial example (though no more trivial than "Swastika"), but I'm from Glasgow, Scotland, and the fact that the articles on Celtic and Rangers, (who's fans almost hate each other) remain 99% factual, despite constant discussion and/or vandalism, testifies to the dynamic of arrived-at group consensus.
And Summer - as for your idea that future generations, suffering under the heal of Hitler-Wales, will look back and say "Remember that woman teacher who tried to tell us all about this way back when?", well - don't flatter yourself, I don't really think you'll make such a huge blip on the radar.
Update: Had a look at the Jeb Bush Wiki, and lo-and-behold, a lot of Summer's stuff is STILL THERE....strange...
Posted by: Camillus McElhinney at November 30, 2005 12:10 AM
[edit] Correspondence with a suspected sock-puppet
Hi Bill the Bear- Sorry John79 - Sorry KK7!
So sorry for accusing you of being a sock-puppet.
However, given the the contributions: KK7, John79, B the B, perhaps you can understand the confusion?
KK7 edits only articles related to Celtic and "kafflicks" (with a slight foray into Mark Walters from May to 02:12, December 13th, 2005. blocked.
83 minutes later, John79 arrives and edits only articles related to Celtic and "kafflicks" from 03:25, December 13th, 2005 to 17:39. blocked.
67 minutes later, B the B arrives and edits Jock Stein, with the same dubious slander from 18:46, December 13th, to 0:30, 14th. blocked.
The next day, KK7 re-appears, and edits only articles related to Celtic and "kafflicks" from 0:28 15th Dec.
If these three are not sock-puppets, I guess we can only assume they share a brain.
Makes you wonder: have any of these "three" anything positive to add to Wikipedia. Don't "they" get fed up "attacking" Celtic and "kafflicks"? Have they no interest in anything to do with, say, Rangers, or even any other Scottish subject?
Just wondering, KK7, about your edit of Billy McNeill[1]
He is a notorious Republican bigot and has stated on various occasions how much he hates Protestants and everything they stand for. He even went as far as suggesting a Holocaust of all "D.O.B's" in early 2002 and was fined by his employers, yet strangely not sacked.
Any evidence?
