"Wikiality" versus Academic Credentials

Started by TehBorken, Mar 01 07 07:03

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TehBorken

 Wikipedia data isn't reliable?? I'm like, SO shocked! Ohmygod, ohmygod!
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A [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Essjay"]prominent Wikipedia administrator[/a] and [a href="http://www.wikia.com/wiki/User:Essjay"]Wikia employee[/a] has been caught [a href="http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/2007/02/28/wikipedia-oops/"]lying[/a] to the  [a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060731fa_fact"]media[/a] and [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Essjay/Letter"]'other' professors[/a] about his academic credentials.

Wikipedia's Essjay has been [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Essjay/History1&oldid=21137993"]representing himself[/a] as "a tenured professor of theology at a private university in the eastern United States; I teach both undergraduate and graduate theology. My Academic Degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies (B.A.), Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), Doctorate of Philosophy in Theology (Ph.D.), Doctorate in Canon Law (JCD)."

His real identity came to light after Wikia offered him a job: It turns out that he is really 24 years old with no degree living in Louisville, KY.  Unbelievably, Wikipedia's co-founder, Jimbo Wales, says 'I regard it as a pseudonym and I don't really have a problem with it.'  

How will this affect Wikipedia's already shaky reputation with the academic (i.e "real") world?
The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.

Russ

i was surprised at the number of people that do use wiki. i was using for info, and was surprising at the number of correct info that was diluted by all the edits by other people.
Mercy to the Guilty is Torture to the Victims