Web 2.0 entry in Wikipedia
Web 2.0 as defined in this Wikipedia article is a site that allows users to interact with each other in a social media dialogue, in contrast to websites where people are limited to just viewing the content. Some examples of Web 2.0 include Blogger, Facebook, and Youtube.
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Baker, The charms of Wikipedia
Wikipedia has over 2.2 million articles and the site is known practically by everyone that has internet access, more so because it’s the first result on a Google search. Any casual writing or typo reminds you that no one is trying to advertise you the article topic. This makes whatever you’re reading on Wikipedia sound somewhat believable. But of course, you can’t fully trust what you find on Wikipedia since strangers can contribute any kind of information. People are encouraged to contribute what knowledge they have about an article by being given the name “editor.” This makes a person fell qualified to write about an article.
Wikipedia has grown so rapidly because it became “addicting.” Vandalism on articles spiked in August 2006 and is said to have contributed to the popularity of Wikipedia. The article gives an example of you working on a wikipedia article on aging and a random person will purposefully replace your detailed writing with nonsense. You will then be on a mission to constantly be on vigilance and undo their doing. This has now turned into a game, causing you to become addicted.
There are some patrols that check or verify articles and if the article seems to be of non-importance, it’s then marked for deletion. An antivandalism software, VotaBotII, reverts an edit if it’s appears to be nonsense. For instance, if the edit is written in all caps and has repeated letters. (BED BUUUGS)
John Broughton’s Wikipedia: The Missing Manual helps people avoid newbie mistakes and sound professional from their first edit.
Questions:
- What would you suggest be done to make Wikipedia a more trusted site?
- How can vandalism be prevented on articles?
Lohr,The Age of Big Data
Big Data is a meme and a marketing term. It stands for “advancing trends in technology that open the door to a new approach to understanding the world and making decisions. “
Artificial intelligence technologies are emerging as a result of data. For example, Siri, the talking application on iPhones: people supply millions of questions and Siri is becoming a virtual personal assistant.
Decisions will increasingly be based on data and analysis rather than on experience and intuition. Retailers analyze sales, pricings, and other data to determine the timing of price markdowns. Research by Professor Brynjolfsson and two other colleagues suggest that data-guided management is spreading across corporate America and starting to pay off.
“The idea that numbers and statistics are interesting and fun.”  Data analysis and statistics is the first thing to research for when making a decision. There is an assurance that numbers tell the truth and therefore your decision can be backed up by the data you find.
Tufte, Visual and statistical Thinking (pgs. 5-15 only)
By studying statistical information you can come to conclusions and theories that can help you find a solution. This article shows the importance of having a clear logic of data display and analysis.
After studying numerous cholera death cases, in London of 1854, relating to the Broad Street water pump-handle, the Board ordered the pump to be removed immediately and the cholera epidemic soon ended. The study was made by John Snow and he started by having a casual theory about how the disease spread, which lead to gathering and assessment of evidence.
Snow’s clear logic of data and display analysis:
- Placing the data in an appropriate context for assessing cause and effect:
By organizing the data collected by date of death is useless in discovering a strategy of how to intervene and stop the epidemic.
By constructing a graphical display, however, you can see cause and effect relationships. Snow marked deaths of cholera on a map, as well as locations of the town’s 11 community water pump-wells. There was a clear cluster of deaths surrounding the Broad Street water pump-well, which reveals a strong association between cholera and the proximity to the Broad Street pump.
2. Making quantitative comparisons:
To fully understand the cause of the epidemic, it requires an analysis of those who escaped the disease.
The Brewery on Broad Street, near the infected pump, had no workmen die from cholera. They were allowed to drink a certain amount of liquor and none were believed to have drunk from the infected water pump.
3. Considering alternative explanations and contrary cases:
The time-sequence of deaths chart and Snow’s map have contradictory instances, but are then explained when carefully examined. The data showed people had died from cholera but were not near the infected water pump. It was later understood that the people who didn’t live near the contaminated water pump died from cholera because they attended work or school near the pump.
4. Assessment of possible errors in the numbers reported in graphics:
Not all cases were noted in the chart and map, so this case study can’t be 100% accurate. Additional charts organized differently (weekly deaths during the cholera epidemic) can show stronger evidence of Snow’s discovery of the infected water-pump, but it can also leave out important details, like what is happening daily during the cholera epidemic.
Common Craft social media video:
“Social media means new opportunities to create and communicate with people that care.” People’s feedback about a person, place, or thing, (ice cream) is more valuable than a paid advertisement because it expresses what people like or want. Businesses can then accommodate what they sell or offer around people’s preferences and, in turn, they become popular and successful business, which can bring high revenue.
Questions:
- When making decisions on purchasing a product, would you listen to the sales person or look for online reviews on the product?
Group Facilitators: Alae, Erica, Rob
