Today we spent some time researching the topics determined during Monday’s discussion, using the data portals at NYC.gov as a starting point. Here are a few; add your favorites in the comments:
NYCHA
Department of Health/Mental Hygiene
Department of City Planning
Department of Buildings BIS | Department of Finance ACRIS lookup
NYPD
American Factfinder of the US Census can be useful for finding demographic data; we’ll cover alternate ways to get this information on Monday. When you don’t know where to start, try InvestigateNYC.
Don’t forget to create your Wikipedia account and send me your username so I can add you to the Learning Places WikiEdu course site. There is a short online training tutorial that everyone should complete. On Monday, we’ll cover researching historical primary sources, including digitized manuscripts, maps, and photos, as well as library databases.
For Monday, please read/view the following articles and video and write one 100-word blog post reflecting on the readings and addressing these questions:
Can the “completely chaotic model” of Wikipedia content development be sustained in the future? Why or why not? What would help it to survive?
Wikipedia readings & video:
Can Wikipedia Survive?
Your blog post is due by the beginning of class on Monday, October 5. See the blogging guidelines or ask me for blogging guidance.
Nicoleta Koubek
Wikipedia
Surprisingly, Wikipedia is only fourteen years old. Wikipedia encounters a great challenge. While new editors are not welcome, the number of editors is in decline. It is only 18% of the editors who represent the new comers. In order for Wikipedia to survive, more new comers should be accepted. There is a tendency of the older editors to delete articles posted by newer ones. In my opinion, the greatest challenge of Wikipedia is not new technology such as smartphones, but the way new editors are treated. Wikipedia has a greater chance to survive if new editors are encouraged to post instead of having their postings erased.
References:
Lih, A. (2015, June 20). Can Wikipedia Survive? Retrieved October 3, 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/opinion/can-wikipedia-survive.html?_r=0
Postrel, V. (Nov 17, 2014). Who Killed Wikipedia? Retrieved October 3, 2015 from
Why Does Wikipedia Work? (n.d.). Retrieved October 3, 2015 from
http://www.npr.org/2013/10/04/191625835/why-does-wikipedia-work
I believe that the model of Wikipedia content can be sustained in the future. As stated in the articles, culture is changing, and the way we access the internet is increasingly coming from mobile devices. This is a problem for Wikipedia, but nothing that they can’t overcome. With how popular and how much funding Wikipedia receives, they will find a way to adapt to this cultural change. I can see them coming up with a mobile app, where they have interactive editing tools where the editors can click icons instead of writing out all of the code. There is a huge demand for easy to access information, and there is no other website like Wikipedia. As long as this demand exists, I believe Wikipedia will do what they need to do to keep up with technology change.
I believe that the content of Wikipedia can be sustained in the near future. Although most people are using mobile devices to access the internet as technology continue to advance every day I believe that there should be more outreach to schools and colleges to educate the people that anyone could be contributors to Wikipedia .Also, I believe that the number of Wikipedia volunteers has decrease over the years because there is no one that is completely in charge . if there was someone in charge to ensure the smooth functioning of Wikipedia and to advocate so that more people can make accounts and become contributors. In addition I think that the current volunteers of Wikipedia can organize to invent a way to make editing and contributing easier and accessible to mobile devices such an creating an app , in this way it would be easier for Wikipedia to expand even more and become even more popular in the future. Most people may rate Wikipedia as not a very credible source since anyone can edit its content but people need to understand that the volunteers of Wikipedia ensures that anything that is edited or contributed to Wikipedia needs to be carefully reference or it gets removed based on a consensus and there is a “recently edited page” that is closely monitored . Personally, I think Wikipedia is a great starting point to gather useful information since it always gives you a broad overview of whatever one may be trying to research and explains everything in simple terms while remaining neutral at the same time. As a result I think Wikipedia will definitely survive in the future since internet users are always satisfied and are looking for data that is explained in simple terms. Lastly with all the funding that Wikipedia receives and is unsure on how to spend it, I think that there would soon be a mobile app where no computer or keyboards are needed for users to become involved.
I see Wikipedia as a very big source of worldwide information with references and also as a interesting subject to learn in humans phycology. Wikipedia already showed everyone that it is working fine as an independent system and it can develop just based on volunteers. And the most interesting fact is that it became more popular then most of the journals and websites. And I can consider this fact as a prove of good future for this website. I hope that the information there will become deeper and it will be checked with professionals. I believe that to reach the higher quality the system will become more strict about editing or adding information.
I strongly believe that Wikipedia will survive and remain as great reference resources to us for at least next couple decades. I always use Wikipedia when I needed to get general idea of topics or subjects. Then, check their explanatory, citations and external links; usually appears on the bottom of contents, to find out more specific. Even though, in the New York Times article, people concern that the rise of smartphones as the dominant personal computing device will effect on Wikipedia usage or not. In my view, device doesn’t matter but the location is more big deal for Wikipedia’s future. We cannot access Wikipedia in the area that has poor internet services even with smartphone. Besides this, in the other article concerns that a hardened corps of volunteer editors is the only force protecting Wikipedia. They might also be killing it. However, Wikipedia continually shows their improvement and development. Indeed, Wikipedia will continued existence.
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