Opinion of Wikipedia?

[President Johnson]

Well?

I like it very much and have been an active author at German Wikipedia for more than seven years now. Despite some things to criticize, probably one of the best internet ideas ever.

[LLR]

Doesn't deserve all the sh**t it gets.

[dead0man]

People that sh**t on Wikipedia are assholes.  No, it's not perfect.  Nothing is.  No, you shouldn't use it as primary research when writing a paper.  No, reading an article doesn't make you an expert.  But for straight information, it's been a godsend.  Want to know when The Rock was born, bam.  Want to know how long the Tigres is? bam!  Want to know who that character actor is playing the bad guy this week? sometimes bam, sometimes you have to go to IMDB.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Massive FS (normal/sane)

[Illiniwek]

The absolute best.

[Enduro]

One of my favorite websites.

[Goldwater]

Massive FS (normal/sane)

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Massive FS (normal/sane)

[Helsinkian]

Having personal experience from several edit wars, I can't say my experience is entirely positive. Most controversy takes place in articles dealing with politics and recent history. However, in practice it's very hard to avoid Wikipedia nowadays when you spend a lot of time online.

[Xing]

FS on balance, though there are definite inaccuracies that exist in its articles, and thus it's better to use it for general information, rather than research on a specific topic.

[Leinad]

Relevant xkcd:



But despite empowering many of my wasted nights of procrastination, it's one of the greatest things to ever happen on the internet.

[Blue3]

Relevant xkcd:



But despite empowering many of my wasted nights of procrastination, it's one of the greatest things to ever happen on the internet.

Try TV Tropes

[AGA]

FS. Wikipedia contains a great wealth of information that is free for anyone with internet to access. Sure, it can be inaccurate, but so can any other source. The notion that random people edit Wikipedia and add false information is overblown since experienced editors often check all changes made to their articles to see if they are legitimate.

[bagelman]

There are plenty of problems with wikipedia, mostly related to bureaucracy and some power users trying to own articles, but the site remains great. I used to be involve in anti-vandalism and most vandalism is reverted in less than a single second by a robot and what isn't reverted by the bot is reverted within a couple of seconds by users using anti-vandalism programs.

[Buffalo Bill]

One of our finest.

[Cory]

FS. Wikipedia contains a great wealth of information that is free for anyone with internet to access. Sure, it can be inaccurate, but so can any other source. The notion that random people edit Wikipedia and add false information is overblown since experienced editors often check all changes made to their articles to see if they are legitimate.

[SATW]

Love it.

[Leinad]

Try TV Tropes

I love TV Tropes

[Enduro]

Try TV Tropes

I love TV Tropes

Same, it's like a comedic Wikipedia for entertainment.

[Vega]

I think I've seen like two incorrect things on Wikipedia in my entire life. Probably one of the best websites out there.

[Virginiá]

Did you guys know you can download the entire Wikipedia archive? I try to keep my local copy up-to-date once or twice a year for when I spend time in the country with limited service.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/114387-how-to-set-up-your-own-copy-of-wikipedia

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Honestly, it's hard to overstate how valuable I believe Wikipedia to be. It's a symbol of what the Internet is doing for mankind - bringing the collective knowledge of humanity to one's fingertips, 24/7. Where else can you learn about such a diverse array of topics and random stuff without having to even put on a pair of pants?

[The Arizonan]

Wikipedia gets an unfair amount of flak. While it is useful, you shouldn't rely on it too much or use it to write a paper.

Did you guys know you can download the entire Wikipedia archive? I try to keep my local copy up-to-date once or twice a year for when I spend time in the country with limited service.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/114387-how-to-set-up-your-own-copy-of-wikipedia

-

Honestly, it's hard to overstate how valuable I believe Wikipedia to be. It's a symbol of what the Internet is doing for mankind - bringing the collective knowledge of humanity to one's fingertips, 24/7. Where else can you learn about such a diverse array of topics and random stuff without having to even put on a pair of pants?

What? You don't need to be wearing pants to be using Wikipedia?!