Comments on: Review: Historian Andrew Dalby chronicles Wikipedia, its philosophy, people and headlines

By: David Shankbone

David Shankbone — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:38:37 +0000

…and also the Wikipedia logo

By: The Cunctator

The Cunctator — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:26:02 +0000

Thanks for the mention. I can also essentially claim credit for the development of featuring breaking news on the homepage; the standard of infoboxes; and a number of standards for protocol and community that as you point out still exist in some form.

yours,
TC

By: David Boothroyd

David Boothroyd — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:43:50 +0000

It was only this review which alerted me to my own walk-on part in the book, but I looked out for a copy and I have to say the write-up so far as I am concerned is well-informed and very fair. There might have been more I would have wanted to explain about how the media treated the story (such as it was) but then there’s no obligation on an author to contact someone they write about.

I’m thinking of giving a copy of the book as a present to someone I know who keeps saying “you were deleted from Wikipedia!” as though it was some sort of personal affront.

By: David Shankbone

David Shankbone — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:29:41 +0000

“Wiki-Gods”? You lost everyone after that.

By: Weinstein

Weinstein — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:05:59 +0000

Dalby, rumor has it that the book is little more than fanboy and you don’t talk about the massive scandals enough. Seems like you are here on Shankbone’s blog to bow before the Wiki-Gods. You call people like SlimVirgin and Durova brave, when they are the worst players of the game.

Why should I read this crap?

By: Andrew Dalby

Andrew Dalby — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:05:23 +0000

A footnote to S Willaimson’s comment above. Yes, I am really concerned that Wikipedia will undermine the alternatives and we will be left with nothing else. The book explores how this has happened, and is still happening, in overseas markets. French, German and other encyclopedias are collapsing. Brockhaus, the big German encyclopedia first published in 1808, will offer no new printed editions after 2008. Its latest DVD version is on sale at 100 euros, its online version is free, and its business model can’t sustain any future version that relies on expert authors (example from page 199 of The World and Wikipedia).

And, as we know, it’s happening in the English-speaking market too. I don’t see Britannica surviving much longer.

By: Shane S

Shane S — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:14:13 +0000

A lot of this post was over my head (sorry) but I am looking for a book about the philosophy of information for a paper that I am working on, so this book might give insight. Thank you.

By: S Willaimson

S Willaimson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:47:14 +0000

Wikipedia, with a 97% share of the online encyclopedia market, has forced Microsoft to shut down Encarta. How long will it be before Wikipedia claims the prize scalp of Encyclopaedia Britannica?

Encyclopaedia Britannica did not think that an open source product like Wikipedia would significantly challenge the credibility of its brand. They were dead wrong and Encyclopaedia Britannica’s staff seriously misread the global market. They are now very concerned about the widespread use of a free Wikipedia vs their paid subscription model. From a corporate and financial perspective, Encyclopaedia Britannica is in significant trouble.

Over the next year or so we will see the continued demise of Britannica as it becomes ever less relevant in a free market, Wikipedia-dominated landscape.

By: David Shankbone

David Shankbone — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:43:32 +0000

Good point, Pete, although I was trying to more make the point that Dalby’s book isn’t a how-to manual, but an ontological and historical accounting of Wikipedia as it exists today that pays little attention to how to take part in it. So, the “best” comment should be read in that regards, and not as a slight against How Wikipedia Works, the book you link to.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:29:31 +0000

“The best”…since Broughton’s book? Hmm, seems you might be overlooking the one by Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews, and Ben Yates. It’s a fine read.

Thanks for this review, looking forward to a closer read.