This week I have been learning about the collective intelligence that is a wiki.
Wikis facilitate open-source production which is "the free and open creation, alteration and distribution of goods, ... via the contribution from vast numbers of widely distributed and unco-ordinated actors" (Anthony, Smith & Williamson, 2007). A shining example of wiki technology in action is of course, Wikipedia.
Wikipedia has had more than its fair share of debate over the reliability and quality of its articles, but there is no doubt that it works hard to remain professional and maintain its neutrality, and in this it mainly succeeds. The 2005 Nature study showed that it was comparable with the Britannica in reliability (as cited in Leaver, 2010). The changes that can be made by anyone are policed by the contributors themselves and collective editing over time ensures consensus. Any vandalism is dealt with promptly and efficiently.
What interested me most was, what kind of people would invest such large amounts of their free time in a project such as this, which in today's materialistic world seems incongruous. An article by Anthony, Smith and Williamson (2007) concludes that contributors are motivated by building themselves a reputation in the community, a strong committment to group identity and seeing the community prosper. Most contributors are registered and have some expert knowledge but there are many anonymous "good samaritans".
Today I found myself being a good samaritan and have to admit I was overly excited like a small child who has finally grown tall enough to ride the roller coaster. My task was to go on Wikipedia, find an article that needed something adding or editing and do it - scarey! I didn't think I would be able to find anything I could contribute to so imagine my delight when I went on the NSW Waratah's page and found something out of date - yippee!!! I edited the Super 14 to Super 15, entered Super Rugby and linked it to the relevant page and then, with a shaking finger, pressed Save. I felt empowered and important, like I had made a difference (how sad am I?!!!). Does everyone feel like this? Maybe it's just me ...
References
Anthony D., Smith S. & Williamson T. (2007). The quality of open source production: zealots and good samaritans in the case of wikipedia. Dartmouth Computer Science Technical Report TR2007-606. Retrieved from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/
Leaver T. (2010). Wikis [iLecture]. Retrieved from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/
New South Wales Waratahs. (2010). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_Waratahs
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