Wikipedia Approaches 3 Million Article Mark
wikipedia approaches 3 million articles
One of the most popular websites in the world, Wikipedia, is close to breaking the barrier of an unprecedented three million articles in its database. This landmark deserves a look at the history of this revolutionary project that has come a long way since its start in January 2001.
The goal of the site was to form a comprehensive encyclopedia that would gain its information from the public; everyone from the top scientist in Harvard down to the simple man in Oklahoma would be allowed to contribute. The creators believed that every person had some valuable information that he or she could share with the encyclopedia, making it better than the ones that were written by a team of a few scientists and historians. Wikipedia started out slowly, reaching one million articles in five years, but it soon gained popularity and added its second set of one million articles 12 months later. Articles covering obscure topics began appearing, as the few people who held such knowledge could easily contribute to the growing encyclopedia.
Times have changed since the 2 millionth article, however. This event happened nearly two years ago, and the Wikipedia’s pace seems to be slowing down. One Californian scientist and his team discovered that the contributions of everyday people, of which Wikipedia has depended on and become famous for, is starting to fade away. The site is becoming more controlled by experts in their field, and the edits of everyday citizens are more likely to be reverted. This is a bit of a double-edged sword, as it excludes much of the original knowledge by others, yet it also preserves some of the integrity and accuracy of the articles. Many debate whether Wikipedia should continue this path or open more to the public, and this is something that only time will tell.
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Sqcijata, 09/03/2010
thank *** very much!
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promotional, 08/02/2010
This is absolutely the best rendition of this blog I have ever seen!
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Mihir, 06/05/2010
posterous makes life so good for blogger, wid introduction of pages and about me it is close to perfect
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Mihir, 06/05/2010
Microsoft shouldn't shut this ...
may b a little bit of patience wid Bing Cashback can make it big
but certainly this cant be The Traffic ...
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admin, 04/02/2010
nice!
is currently an airline employee and in her freetime loves to write. She is a Facebook fanatic.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia anyone can add to or edit. A highly popular resource, Wikipedia has become a primary research tool of college students, and it may help them develop comparative research skills. However, since Wikipedia’s entries don’t undergo verified expert review, many academics are concerned about its use for academic purposes.
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