TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
" While Wikipedia may be based on the concept of an online encyclopedia, it
is more of a chat room of people claiming to know something and lacking the
qualifications to provide reliable information. So, Wikipedia is neither an
encyclopedia or an aircraft repair manual."
Having used Wikipedia to gain understanding of several highly technical
processes over the last few years, I would say that saying it's a chat room
of people lacking the qualifications to provide reliable information" is not
necessarily true. There are a lot of knowledgeable individuals with a lot of
career and life experiences that also contribute to Wikipedia. Is it the end
all for information. Of course not and it doesn't present itself as such.
However, it is a great information transfer medium. As a former reporter, I
would use it today as one tool for gathering information. It's as truthful
as any interview of a business leader I've ever done (and I've done a lot of
them).
"Wikipedia lacks credibility because anyone can edit it regardless of
whether they have qualifications."
Several years ago that may have been true, but Wikipedia is now moderated.
You have to be approved before you can make edits to existing material and
nothing gets posted without going through some form of checking. This was in
response to political hacking a few years back where political resumes were
embellished beyond belief, or hacked to the point of libel. Wikipedia
changed the rules because it's credibility was at stake.
Al Geist
Technical Communicator, Help, Web Design, Video, Photography
Office/Msg: 802-872-9190
Cell: 802-578-3964
E-mail: al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com
Website: www.geistassociates.com
See Also
Fine Art Photography
"We can't solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used to create
them." (Albert Einstein)
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help.
Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need. Try
Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days. http://www.doctohelp.com
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-
