It seems like wikipedia shows up first whenever I search for something on google. They have the most hits. As a consumer of information from wikipedia I find it very useful. What I like most is that they have references and external links for more information. There are two interesting things to note about wikipedia; one is their effort to be a repository of information for the world to be able to access. The other is how it is designed and editable by others. As a wiki, it is editable by users. The real beauty of wikis’ is that they are easy to create, edit, and share with others. Although, wikipedia isn't as easy to use as other WYSIWYG wiki's. But, Wikipedia works well and has tutorials that are helpful. I added two words to wikipedia and it only took a few minutes. The first word was “Planimal.” Recently, a sea slug was discovered that could genetically produce chloroplasts in its’ cells. This particular species has characteristics that are both animal-like and plant-like, which has been coined as a planimal.
Wikipedia is also great because it can answer questions immediately. If I ever have a need to get general information about something I can usually find it at Wikipedia and then follow the trail of external links posted at the bottom of each page. I don’t use wiki’s as a source of information for writing research papers, but it is useful. I remember teachers and professors always saying to never use wikipedia. It was taboo to use wiki’s as a source. I understand why-since it is editable by anyone then it isn’t exactly a primary source of information. Even though it is peer-reviewed that doesn’t mean it is a reliable source. On the other hand, it has proven to be true and resourceful for me in the past. I wouldn’t cite a wiki page as my source, but they usually reference their sources, which gives me the opportunity to read through other sources for first hand legitimate information.
What is really cool is how it incorporates all the other wikis. There is the wiktionary, wikiversity, wikinews, wikibooks, and a few others that I haven't used. In general I am a big fan of wikis and soon I will blog about how wiki's can be used in education.
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