May 23, 2013
You probably have a practical understanding of how Wikipedia works. To sum it all up, anyone can edit the information on a page, and they can do this quite quickly. These are the basic mechanics of how a wiki generally works, and Wikipedia just so happens to use it for their online encyclopedia. However, there are plenty of other purposes for this type of site. I'm here to offer a few suggestions for offbeat ways to use your own wikis.
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May 9, 2013
Wikipedia is often mocked for its perceived lack of truth. Because it's an encyclopedia built entirely on the contributions of random people, it has a reputation for not always being accurate and truthful. In some ways this assertion is fair... little-known entries (such as those for people you've likely never heard of) can be manipulated by pranksters or editors with an agenda, but it's far from the norm, especially on popular, oft-visited entries.
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May 2, 2013
Most people approach Wikipedia as they approach Google: they head there with a search term already in mind. But that approach may mean you miss out on much of what Wikipedia has to offer. It boasts entries that are obscure, odd, offbeat, and unlikely to be seen by more than a handful of people. Welcome to the world of weird Wikipedia.
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January 16, 2013
The World Wide Web (now more commonly known simply as the Web) has been with us for over 20 years now, and in that relatively short space of time it has unequivocally changed the world. For better or worse. The architects of the Web could not have foreseen what a huge impact their creation was going to have, but over the course of two decades and counting the Web has evolved into a sprawling mass of websites and pages that number in the billions.
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October 26, 2012
Wikipedia has rolled out a new look for its mobile site, which includes new fonts, a new layout and a new navigation system which were previously tested on its experimental Beta site. According to Wikipedia, the visibility improvements and new fonts should improve device compatibility and the overall reading and scanning experience.
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October 4, 2012
Collect a number of Wikipedia articles and create your own eBook. Whether you want an overview of a particular academic topic or just want to read about absolutely every Pokemon, Wikipedia's Book Creator is the ultimate tool for creating your own primer on any subject. If you're like me you simply cannot stop reading Wikipedia – it's endlessly fascinating.
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September 19, 2012
Today, when it appears on top of nearly every Google result, we take it from granted. We occasionally try to bring it down a notch or three over the veracity of the facts stated there. But its presence and use in the pantheon of great bookmarked sites is assured. But this article is not about singing hosannas to the world’s largest collaborative encyclopedia. It is a guide to how you can take Wikipedia offline by downloading pages.
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September 3, 2012
Google is the ultimate search engine and it is supposed to answer everything like the Grand Oracle. But what if you just don’t have the question with you? Or a smidgen of a clue about it? In those foggy states of mental fugue, it helps to have a more structured source for information. There’s actually no reason for us to suffer more than necessary because information is all around us. We just have to search-refer-and grab the thread. When I am stuck, one of the resources I use to pummel the writer’s block is Wapedia.
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July 5, 2012
These days, nearly anyone that has spent any time on the Internet has heard of Wikipedia. It is nearly as well-known as Google, and just as much a common household word. For those of you that were active on the Internet prior to 2000, then you may recall what I would call the “rise of [...]
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March 26, 2012
Jimmy Wales must be chortling into his cheerios when he sees how his baby called Wikipedia has influenced so many areas of life, both online and offline. Despite the fact that Wikipedia seems to be on a neverending begging quest for donations, it is still the number one dominant site when it comes to reference articles, winning pub quizzes, cheating at homework assignments and assassinating 244 year old print encyclopedias.
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January 20, 2012
Wikipedia will continue to get knocked down for credibility and accuracy but it is the best open source project we know of. And one we still depend on for a quick reference. Wikipedia is the last place you would expect to play a few serious games, but dig deep and a few intrepid web applications have been built around the knowledge rich online encyclopedia. Wikipedia games just give you another way to kill a few of those dull hours and gain a bit of grey matter in the process.
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January 17, 2012
There are many ways to look at and browse through Wikipedia. From browser extensions and plugins to web apps that make browsing Wikipedia more than a scholarly exercise. The vast bank of human knowledge stored within Wikipedia pages also makes for some interesting uses – some which you might not even consider seriously. But checking out these five useful ways of using Wikipedia could be worth your reading time.
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June 8, 2011
Find notable places to visit, anywhere on earth. Wikihood combines Wikipedia and Google Maps, resulting in a surprisingly interesting way to find out what cool things are near a given town or GPS coordinate. Wikipedia has an article on practically everything, so it makes sense to arrange it in many different ways. Wikihood arranges everything on a Google Map.
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May 25, 2011
Wikipedia has managed to maintain its top-dog status when it comes to quick access (and free) source of valuable information. Just so that deep diving into Wikipedia remains a fun and educational experience, a bounty of Chrome extensions is a must-have for the browser.
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August 18, 2010
“A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor.” That’s the definition provided by Wikipedia, the most popular wiki on the Internet. Wikis serve as collaborative sites and can be very useful [...]
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