zlacker

[return to "Hi, it's me, Wikipedia, and I am ready for your apology"]
1. Imusta+89[view] [source] 2025-10-28 15:18:45
>>imicha+(OP)
Can someone give me a deeper understanding of what this post means or the backstory behind it?
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2. vuggam+sd[view] [source] 2025-10-28 15:37:14
>>Imusta+89
It is satire. You don't need to know the writer to get it. McSweeney's publishes these type of pieces from time-to-time. Laugh or don't. I found this one amusing.

Wikipedia, a generation ago, was considered controversial. It is now more accepted as a legitimate encyclopedia and the criticisms appear quaint when compared to the post-truth atmosphere of our current media. The footnotes and the "citation needed" annotations are meant to mimic a Wikipedia article.

The donate button is a nice touch, from a time when web sites weren't afraid to put links to external sites. Wikipedia probably doesn't need your money, but it is, in my opinion, a solid organization providing an incredible resource to humanity. Though, as with all human enterprises, it has its flaws.

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3. IAmBro+mg[view] [source] 2025-10-28 15:50:49
>>vuggam+sd
> It is now more accepted as a legitimate encyclopedia

To be fair, it is easily 10x better as a source than any encyclopedia, even disregarding the scope and quantity of entries.

I loved Encyclopedia Britannica, and probably read the set in its entirety as a kid (nonsequentially), but it was like learning biology from Disney specials. Wikipedia is often updated and corrected by multiple experts, and importantly includes biblio endnotes. The latter alone sets it far above mere encyclopedias.

I remember an early advertisement for EB, masquerading as a research article that compared EB and WP. They found that while WP contained a bit more articles, EB was a bit more accurate (in their totally unbiased sampling). They did not mention that WP was growing exponentially at the time, while EB was not, nor did they mention that WP was continuously updated with corrections, while EB was effectively never ever updated (users bought a static copy).

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