Wikipedia and Web 2.0

This week’s readings center around the concept of wikis, the collaboration of information through a variety of sources that interact with each other on the framework of massive content management systems, specifically Wikipedia. Wikipedia was founded in 2001 and has become the Britannica Encyclopedia of the digital revolution and a major player in the idea of Web 2.0. Millions of users interact on Wikipedia through the posting of new articles and the adjusting and updating of information. Research has shown that a vast majority of the posts on Wikipedia are updates to current articles rather than the creation of new articles. To track usage on the site, the nonprofit organization that manages Wikipedia tracks the IP addresses of those who use the site. I personally am a very big proponent of Wikipedia; I use it regularly whenever I want quick knowledge of a topic or item of importance. I use Google religiously for web searches and most time at least one of the top five articles in my search results is an article to Wikipedia. I have found Wikipedia does maintain a very high level of authenticity in its information, at the bottom of every article there are footnotes and citations letting the reader know where each piece of information originated and even hyperlinks that you can use to research the authenticity if you so choose.

Wikipedia has also become a global sensation due to the fact that as of this month, January 2012, it is available in 282 languages meaning it can reach a greater audience than ever before. Wikipedia enjoys the idea of allowing the end-users the ability to reach out and touch the information they are interested in a since that content can be manipulated it makes everyone feel s like they have a voice.

Another element of this week’s readings that interested me was the evolution of content, tools and programs on the internet and that used the internet. One particular tool is Netscape. I remember when my home computer first had internet access on it I would use Netscape for every interaction with the web; this was also true whenever I needed to interact with the internet at school. Netscape was one of the original pioneers in the idea of using the internet as a platform; you would open an icon on your desktop that took you to the internet. The Netscape browser would have various tools in it that would allow you to interact with the internet differently and as technology advanced updates would be made to Netscape so that users would have greater control and tools for their experience. Of course Microsoft went to war with Netscape when they launched their own internet browser, Internet Explorer, which ultimately saw to the demise of Netscape. I remember when every Microsoft program had internet explorer embedded or bundled with it leaving the consumer or end-user with a free internet browser they did not have to purchase elsewhere. Netscape didn’t stand a chance once this tactic emerged. Of course Microsoft did have to end this tactic once the consumer public grew sick of being inundated with the Internet Explorer icon. I personally was never a fan of Internet Explorer and I am currently a devout user of Google Chrome.