This is via the Wired Campus Blog from the Chronicle of Higher Ed:
The Doom of the Unknown Poster
Is anonymity killing the Internet? To some computing experts, it might seem that way.
In the wake of Wikipedia's recent struggles, some commentators have argued that the online encyclopedia is finally experiencing a phenomenon that has happened on many an online message board. "In every system that I have seen where anonymity becomes common, the system fails," writes Kevin Kelly, editor at large of Wired.
But some critics say Wikipedia's problem isn't anonymity; it's lack of accountability. Web sites like eBay have managed to gain users' trust -- and keep most members on good behavior -- by adding mechanisms for rating the performance of anonymous users, according to Bruce Schneier of Wired News. "History is filled with bandits and pirates who amass reputations without anyone knowing their real names," he writes. (Wired News)
Posted on January 12, 2006 at 09:27 AM | Permalink
Here's the December 5 article mentioned above that gives more details:
December 05, 2005
Debate Over Wikipedia Heats Up
After being stung in the past week by a pair of much-discussed mini-scandals, Wikipedia is about to change the way it does business. But the popular online encyclopedia won't stray far from its open-source ideals.
The Web site's founder, Jimmy Wales, says he will soon bar anonymous users from creating new encyclopedia entries, leaving that job instead to the site's legion of registered contributors. Wikipedia will still permit anonymous posters to edit existing articles, though. (CNET News)
The change in policy comes after an ugly week for Wikipedia. First, a former administrative assistant to Robert F. Kennedy wrote a sharply critical op-ed piece for USA Today, complaining that a Wikipedia article falsely accused him of having been a suspect in the Kennedy assassinations. Just two days later, Adam Curry, a former MTV host often credited with inventing podcasting, was accused of anonymously editing a Wikipedia entry to minimize the contributions of other seminal podcasters.
Mr. Wales says that the recent incidents have been exceptions to the rule, and that Wikipedia maintains a high accuracy rate. But some commentators are less sanguine about the online resource. Dave Winer, a blogger whose name reportedly was among those Mr. Curry deleted from a Wikipedia entry, writes: "Wikipedia is so often considered authoritative. That must stop now, surely." [Editor's note: This entry was corrected, see comments for details]
Posted on December 5, 2005 at 04:13 PM | Permalink
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