Many congratulations! We will have to throw you a party at some point. (Wikimania?)
-- phoebe On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 5:16 AM, Joseph Reagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hello everyone, I thought some folks might be interested in: > > [[http://reagle.org/joseph/blog/culture/wikipedia/annc-in-good-faith > ... > Wikipedia, "the free encyclopedia anyone can edit," has caught the attention > of the world. Discourse about the efficacy and legitimacy of this > collaborative work abound, from the news pages of "The New York Times" to > the satire of "The Onion." So how might we understand Wikipedia > collaboration? In part 1 I argue that Wikipedia is an heir to a twentieth > century vision of universal access and goodwill; an idea advocated by H. G. > Wells and Paul Otlet almost a century ago. This vision is inspired by > technological innovation -- microfilm and index cards then, digital > networks today -- and driven by the encyclopedic compulsion to capture and > index everything known. In addition, I place Wikipedia within the history > of reference works, focusing on their (often fervent) creators, and the > cooperation, competition, and plagiarism encountered in their production. > In part 2, I conceptualize Wikipedia as a technologically mediated "open" > community; through ethnography I identify the norms, practices and meanings > of Wikipedia culture including "Neutral Point of View," good faith, and > authorial leadership. In particular, I use the metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle > to explain the operation of Wikipedia's collaborative culture: "Neutral > Point of View" ensures that the scattered pieces of what we think we know > can be joined and good faith facilitates the actual practice of fitting > them together. Finally, in part 3 I focus on the cultural reception and > interpretation of Wikipedia. I argue that in the history of reference works > Wikipedia is not alone in serving as a flashpoint for larger social > anxieties about technological and social change. I try to make sense of the > social unease embodied in and prompted by Wikipedia by way of four themes > present throughout the dissertation: collaborative practice, universal > vision, encyclopedic impulse, and technological inspiration. I show that > the discourse around Wikipedia reveals concerns about how new forms of > technologically mediated content production are changing the role and > autonomy of the individual, the authority of existing institutions, and the > character (and quality) of cultural products. > ]] > > _______________________________________________ > Wiki-research-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wiki-research-l > _______________________________________________ Wiki-research-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wiki-research-l
