Is Wikipedia the New Google?

Created by Vidya Ananthanarayanan (Trinity University) on April 15, 2005

Ok, that might be a stretch, but this post is a follow-up of sorts to my previous post. I had a moment of epiphany today that brought to light in no uncertain terms just what I was missing with regard to the power of wikis. A colleague asked for information on digital audio formats and without thinking twice, I went to wikipedia, looked for the appropriate information, found it, emailed the link to her, and promptly went to back to my previous task. And then it hit me: I hadn't Googled first; something that's as natural to me as breathing and I hadn't done it. I went to wikipedia first!

Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I had unconsciously made a distinction between a random search for any information that may be available on a topic via Google, and a cogent, cohesive, silo of information available in one place. And that perhaps, is the true power of wikis. Ease of use and community-building notwithstanding, the power of a wiki lies in it's ability to facilitate information growth and it's availability at a single, vantage point.

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		Is Wikipedia the New Google? Created by Vidya Ananthanarayanan (Trinity University) on April 15, 2005 Ok, that might be a stretch, but this post is a follow-up of sorts to my previous post. I had a moment of epiphany today that brought to light in no uncertain terms just what I was missing with regard to the power of wikis. A colleague asked for information on digital audio formats and without thinking twice, I went to wikipedia, looked for the appropriate information, found it, emailed the link to her, and promptly went to back to my previous task. And then it hit me: I hadn't Googled first; something that's as natural to me as breathing and I hadn't done it. I went to wikipedia first! Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I had unconsciously made a distinction between a random search for any information that may be available on a topic via Google, and a cogent, cohesive, silo of information available in one place. And that perhaps, is the true power of wikis. Ease of use and community-building notwithstanding, the power of a wiki lies in it's ability to facilitate information growth and it's availability at a single, vantage point. Blog (WebLog) \| Libraries and Technology \| Teaching and Learning Vidya's blog Login or register to post comments 3290 reads
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