Wiki

I was wondering if you (Jeff) had read anything about Wiki or Wikipedia.com. It is essentially an online encyclopedia maintained by it's users.

This is a pretty well written description of what it is, for those who do not know what Wiki is:

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"Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.

Wiki is unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself.

Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users."

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Anyway, It might be a neat idea for CoasterBuzz, especially considering the nature of the site and it's growth has been directly linked to user contributions.
*** Edited 11/29/2005 1:35:17 PM UTC by Fun***

What exactly would you do with it?

Maybe create an encyclopedia/dictionary of coaster "stuff"

Yeah, "Stengel Dive" needs to be entered into the Wikipedia.
:)

and then also .... PRETZEL LOOP.

:)

Not interested. Wikis are mostly a mess, and frankly I don't trust the Internet-going public to maintain the integrity of data.

It already kind of exists here

Go nuts! Add content!

Coasterbuzz is listed as a link already. :)

8.3 has a point. Why not just help out wikipedia? There's tons of coaster/park related entires there already that could use some work and even more that could be added.

Heck, we could interlink pages and create almost a little sub-website in wikipedia for coasters.

Interesting that the picture used to illustrate a "typical rollercoaster" is one of the Traver Cyclones--hardly a good example of a typical coaster.

That's a pretty nerdy thing to notice I guess.

coasterbuzz-Wikipedia already sort of exists in a way..

Don't see a park, site, photo, news posting on coasterbuzz? Contribute it.

Granted, it's not guaranteed to be posted, but it's still very user-supported.

And here I thought I was nerdy just for wondering what coaster layout is the "typical rollercoaster." Thank's, millrace. :)

I've been waiting a life time for the fabled "Acronym lis and Meaning of Coaster Technbabble terms List".

I know someone started it once, it never got finished...

It exists. It'll be in the next version of the site.

Any idea on how this new version is doing, or when it will be up? I'm curious. ;)

It isn't doing anything.

If you wonder why I'm still so apprehensive about Wikis in general, here's another example:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm

I'm all for the empowerment of people using the Internet as the great equalizer in media. Heck, it's enabled me to do what I want for a living. That said, it's even harder to figure out what's reputable and what's not on the Internet, because all you need is a blog mention or high search hit to get noticed. What is the most trafficked is not always correct.

I actually agree. I got into Wikipedia for about 2 or 3 weeks, but parts of it were really, really biased. Certain people have vendettas about things, are are adamant about it, even when they're stone cold wrong.

...the same is often true for more established secondary sources, actually---every once in a while a flat wrong, biased article makes it into a "real" encyclopedia.

If you want to know The Truth, read the primary texts.

Exactly.