Last week, it was revealed that Wikipedia would be making some changes to its rules for editing. It was reported that the site was testing pages that would require people editing entries to have their changes approved by "experienced" editors before the changes would be made.
Now it appears that some other specific editorial changes are in store for the widely used encyclopedia site. The people behind Wikipedia reportedly intend to implement a color coded system of trust, called WikiTrust.
It looks like everyone's favorite source for info about sci-fi characters, historical trivia, and other random stuff will be safe for a while longer. The Wikimedia Foundation, which is the organization behind Wikipedia, has received a $500,000 grant.
After checking out Bing's explanation of how it handles reference searches, it got me thinking how big of a role Wikipedia plays in search. Wikipedia entries are often among the top results in Google, and clearly they are a big part of Bing's strategy as well.
Microsoft says that reference search sessions average over 9 minutes in length and over 6 queries per session before the user finds what they are looking for. With that in mind, the company is highlighting how Bing handles reference material.
There is clearly great emphasis placed on Wikipedia results, and I have to admit that as I began to read Microsoft's explanation, I was starting to think, "Why not just cut out the middle man and search Wikipedia?"
The company says things like:
Okay, no, not really—but the encyclopedia anyone can edit is looking to add video to its offerings, according to Technology Review (via RWW).
It appears that all Wikimedia content will become available for free under the Creative Commons License soon. This has been approved by a 75% majority of community voters, though the decision has not yet been approved by the Wikimedia Foundation's board of trustees. The licensing update/result page says:
Dmoz.org, also known as the Open Directory Project, is widely considered to be the mother of all directories. Well, that was the case at one time, anyway. Dmoz has dropped significantly in popularity over the years, and is the subject of much criticism by webmasters looking for inclusion. What do you think about Dmoz these days? Is it still valuable? Tell us what you think.
Some controversy stirred up earlier this week after the Electronic Frontier Foundation stepped in on behalf of the creators of Wikipediaart.org, a site dedicated to a Wikipedia-related art project. The EFF was responding to demands by a lawyer for the Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of Wikipedia, that the artists turn over control of the domain.
WebProNews recently spoke with Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia for a few minutes, and discussed the past, present, and future of user-generated content as a marketing medium, not to mention several other topics. What kinds of brands do you think work the best for marketing with consumer-generated content? Share your thoughts with us.
When fans across the globe read of composer Maurice Jarre’s death at the end of March, they were treated to a charming quote: “One could say my life itself has been one long soundtrack. Music was my life, music brought me to life, and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, that only I can hear.”
It’s cute, but the thing is, Jarre never said it. Irish college student Shane Fitzgerald did, on Wikipedia.
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