Thinking About Trusting Wikipedia? Think Again

Wikipedia is one of the largest free encyclopedias on the internet. The site has nearly 1.7 millions articles in the English language, and even millions more in many other worldwide languages. And the popularity of the site is no where near close to declining. Middle school students, high school students, college students all use Wikipedia for dozens of reasons. Even Google or search for any term, and it is most likely that Wikipedia will be listed within the top 5 searches. But now controversy has surrounded Wikipedia. The site has literally thrived on the concept of anonymity of its users and contributors. Nearly anyone can add whatever they like to any page. Many people do not see a problem with this as long as they can get their information from somewhere. However, this is definitely a problem. How accurate is a site that allows anyone to add any type of information? Not very.

The fact is that people lie and give out false and inaccurate information, whether accidental or deliberate. After finding out that one of Wikipedia's high-ranked contributors was not who he claimed to be, a professor of religion, the site plans on finding out the credentials of other contributors.

Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, said that contributors would still be able to stay anonymous, but they would have to at least cite professional expertise in the subject they are adding to. Bibliographies at the end of topics are being stressed now more than ever. Wales believes that anonymity is still important because it allows people to contribute without a lot of problems.

Jimmy Wales also suggest a similar plan nearly two years ago, but the plan never gained momentum until a recent discovery. A major Wikipedia contributor, pen name: "Essjay", who claimed to be an established professor of theology, turned out to be a 24-year old college drop out named Ryan Jordan.