Lots written about the veracity of the content which you can find out wikipedia ... And yes, there is a lot of misinformation out there ... at the same time, there is also a lot of self-promotion that is happening there. Due to which there is a lot written about the relevance of wikipedia for academics. However, having said that ... this phenomenon isnt just a property of wikipedia ... this has been there since the dawn of humanity. Take for example, the web ... there is plenty of misinformation that is out there. And, it is not only limited to spaces with user-generated content.
Lets face it, any medium, whether it be the web, or it be newspapers, are the tool for people to present their viewpoint, and their viewpoint alone. Which is why, the same news story is, in all possibility, taken up by two different newspapers, with different political leanings, and presented in two different ways. The same is true for websites as well. Or, with scholarly books, too ... take for example, history written by left leaning, and by right leaning authors ... the content would typically be very different, because the areas they would focus on, and the way they would perceive these would be very different.
Having said this, wikipedia is quite a good source for information ... I found this out over the weekend ... went with my son to watch Kung Fu Panda, and you wont believe the kind of information which is available about the movie on wikipedia ... that, for a movie which hit theatres only around a week ago. Of course, one could argue that in the age of web 2.0, a week is a very long time, but then, in the weekend following the release of The Dark Knight, you should see the page over at wikipedia for the movie.
The challenge i see, as a Knowledge Manager, is to tap into this natural enthusiasm within the firewall. This, to my mind, is one of the largest challenges Knowledge Managers face ...
I think enthusiasm is directly related to interest/context and shedding of inhibitions. Behind the firewall employees are likely to be more cautious about demonstrating their enthusiasm because they are also managing perceptions of their peers, subordinates and superiors. Also a knowledge manager may want them to be enthusiastic about rocket science while they may be interested in music. You know what I'm saying...!
ReplyDeletemy point exactly, Sameer. :-) Which is why i think some of the things we see outside the firewall may not necessarily work within the firewall. And this is a challenge ...
ReplyDeleteLike you said ... behind the firewall, its about work ... why should users actually go out of their way to do something when they could be doing something more pleasing. This is a challenge which Knowledge Managers face.
Interesting ... i didnt quite think about it this way ... people also need to manage the perceptions behind the firewall ... this could also be a hindrance to their contriburing.
Thanks for your thoughts ...