Is Wikipedia is the first stop for information?

Canada
March 16, 2008 6:08pm CST
Do you find yourself checking Wikipedia first whenever you look for some information for the first time?
2 responses
Ren1227
@Ren1227 (104)
• United States
17 Mar 08
It depends on what I am looking for but I'd say in general, yes it is. Wikipedia is the ultimate Web 2.0 site. It is amazing to see that I can get information on just about any topic I want. Just now I did a search on Wikipedia to find that there are over 9.25 million articles. How many volumes of encyclopedias would it take to fit that many articles? Some have questioned the validity of information on Wikipedia. I have been a Wikipedia user for a little over 4 years now and so far when I need to make sure information is accurate I start with Wikipedia and then use some other sources to verify the information. So far, the information I have retrieved from Wikipedia has proved to be very accurate. In some cases, Wikipedia is actually more accurate than other sources because it is constantly being updated. There are very passionate people about all kinds of topics who are experts in their field who update information on Wikipedia. It is amazing the time people spend to ensure accurate and complete information on the various articles. However, there is some information for which I go to other sources first. When researching stocks, I usually use finance.yahoo.com and sec.gov. Just now, I went to Alexa.com to find out that the Wikipedia ranks #9 world wide in internet traffic.
Ren1227
@Ren1227 (104)
• United States
25 May 08
Hi Outbackben - thanks for your feedback on my response. I really do think Wikipedia is a very valuable resource and in general it has proved to be very accurate. In regards to Yuwie, I have been a member there for a few months and am getting used to how it works. Basically, it is just a social networking site like MySpace or Facebook. As far as earning money from that site, they pay based on page views (your own and those in your network). The best thing to do is to find people who understand the business model and get them into your network. Referrals are much more important than friends. But some focus more on getting friends than referrals. I just sent you a private message on Yuwie. Take care!
jackson118
@jackson118 (96)
•
16 May 08
It depends on what information i am looking for but i use it quite often but for something the info is unreliable.