Poll: Do you use Wikipedia?

[cleverlymadeup]

wikipedia has a fun law of averages thing going. the fact that everyone can edit it actually helps make it more accurate. i do find it funny when people try and discredit your argument cause "you used wikipedia" it shows how little they actually know about the process

there was a philosopher that said that lower class people shouldn't vote cause they were stupid and didn't have the ability to rule properly. so he proposed a test to show that he was right. he had them guess the weight of a cow. now no one single guess was correct, however if you took the average of all the guesses they got it right.

the fact that the not one person was correct but the whole group was correct

Yeah I also like the fact that after a trip through wikipedia, dipshits suddenly turn into e-geniuses (what the fuck happened to hard work and actually studying?)...

Seriously I only use it for recreational, I refuse to use it in debate, and actual research due to not being a fully reliable source.

actually you're wrong on both your points and missed my point totally and i'll explain it in basic english

it IS a reliable source of information because of the fact that everyone can edit and change it.

they've actually done several blind tests against the encyclopedia britantica and to everyone's surprise wikipedia actually came out on top in a couple of the tests and was more accurate than britanica is.

also that little parable doesn't come from wikipedia, it actually comes from nova science now

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0301/04.html
or here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-FonWBEb0o

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

I use it for fun and for looking up track listings on cd's.

 

[Julianking93]

I use it only if I want to look something up real quick.

 

[Bigeyez]

Well if your trying to prove something over the internet it's not like you can shove a book through your computer and show it to someone. And I'll trust Wikipedia over just about any random site I find on google. So yes I use wikipedia in discussions on forums because well its the only real option you have.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Our lecturers tell us not to use it as a source, but they're happy with us using it as a starting point to find more reputable sources. That said, I tend to trust it more - the way I see it, the sort of things I'll be looking up on there for essays are unlikely to be vandalised because there'd be no point or entertainment in doing so.

For online discussions, though, it's the obvious go-to source for anything you're trying to tell people about.

 

[Snuggle]

I rarely use it for school-stuff, mainly to get a quick overview of the situation.

 

[ZonerZ]

Hell yes I use it! Wikipedia is my time-sink when this site fails to keep my interest.

 

[historybuff]

I use it to look up quick things but not for real research. For real research, I go to the library.

 

[G1eet]

I fucking love Wikipedia. I use it all the time. I can't even count how many times I used it just today.

I second this notion. If I really need reliable information, I'll google it.

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

if there is a term i'm not familiar with I might wiki it,otherwise I would of never found out what kawaii means.

 

[UltimatheChosen]

I frequently use it. If it's for something like school or work, though, I'll generally check the sources to make sure they're accurate.

 

[ffs-dontcare]

If I'm curious to see what it has to say about certain bands/artists, then yeah I use it. Also, when I want to know what information it has about up and coming games.

I also mess around with the Power Rangers: RPM pages in order to correct the abominations of grammar and spelling that are often present there right after a new episode has aired, occasionally going so far as to rewrite entire sections just to stop it from looking like it was written by a dyslexic 12 year old with Tourettes. -_-

Think what you will.

 

[darthzew]

Yeah, it's just so convenient! I don't use it for any official means though.

 

[messy]

Not for main research, if it's something education related I try and avoid it or for an argument/debate I can't afford to get wrong.

 

[esperandote]

yeah you could say is my main source for general knowlege.

 

[Hitman 43]

Only a very few times in my life.

 

[Hazy]

I use it for research. Unless our teachers tell us we can't, then I.. well, I don't (Obviously.)

 

[Takoto]

If I need to look something up quickly, I'll use Wikipedia.

 

[chronobreak]

every once in a while.

Wiki is not a valid source!!!

Is any source valid? Have there been mistakes on television, in books, newspapers, all of those? Of course! I don't see how you can immediatley discredit wikipedia.

 

[Saylek]

when i see i unfamiliar word...wikipedia
when i see a funny looking thing with a name tag...wikipedia
when i need a new book based on a movie vice versa... wikipedia

wikipedia is taking over the world...but in a good way *wink*