U have a good point, but I think that wikipedia would be the future of the encyclopedia (and Britannica is dead), because people are going to edit and improve what they care about, and sometimes there are people that know more that a Scholar about something… because they are passionate about.

Anyway Jimbo was wrong on posting his relationship status on Wikipedia. Is not a Social Network.

By Edoardo Piccolotto on Mar 4, 2008

I’m with you. I read “The Know-It-All” last year. It’s about a guy who read the entire EB. There are only a few people in the world who have done that. But it’s THE source. As you say, anything that can get edited by dopes will be. And Wiki has had some real problems with bios being defaced, etc. School teachers don’t let kids source from it. It’s not peer reviewed….yep, there are some things better left to the pros. Encyclodepias are one thing. (Invoking the Jimeny Cricket song.)

By Frank Roche on Mar 4, 2008

Nobody likes a ” know it all ” I completely agree with you.

By what a wonderful blog on Mar 4, 2008

Well played, Loren.

I agree about the dopes editing it… although, as a student, I have learned ALOT from there. And I study (not officially.. as a hobby) medicine, too. The key is to always just click the [1] or [2] or [whatever] and check the source and see that it was interpreted correctly. I view Wikipedia loosely as a source locator in an encyclopedia form. Sure some shit is off but, if you really want to know, check out the source. I know I could not have learned as much as I have without something free, accessible, and consistently formatted (hey, that’s important, too) as Wikipedia.

By Josh on Mar 4, 2008

Don’t kid yourself.

Wikipedia isn’t really about mob rule.

The group mind that creates the Wikipedia isn’t some dumb tyrant of mediocrity– in reality it’s administered by a top-down editorship subordinate to Wales.

He exercises editorial control with the assistance of his elite cadre of volunteer editors who vet the submitted material– Wales retains ultimate veto power to ban the trolls and vandals.

Let the Valleywag froth eat shit and die.

So what if Jimbo was indiscreet enough to post about the status of his relationship at Wikipedia.

He’s a character who goes after life with gusto– he’s brought far more light into the world than the silly, gossiping twits who work at Valleywag– they aren’t worthy to lick his randy ass.

By Anonymous on Mar 4, 2008

That was me– forgot to hit autofill.

By Vince Williams on Mar 4, 2008

I’m sure nothing like the Wales scandal has ever happened with Britannica.

By grant on Mar 4, 2008

Bah, I’m 7 days sans smoking. That looks delicious.

By Jim Kukral on Mar 4, 2008

I posted a comment earlier with a funny link about America’s last door to door encyclopedia salesman calling it quits, but I’m guessing it got gobbled up by your spam filter (if anyone wants to read it, just Google “scott willie lohman”).

By Tyler Banfield on Mar 4, 2008

Oh those guys!?

we lost those guys to a bunch of web2.0 geeks who make empty promises to folks for a living.

By Dick on Mar 5, 2008