Massive Multiplayer Editing Game
That is how the satirical Uncyclopedia describes Wikipedia and I have recently started playing that online game. It started innocently with me correcting the occasional spelling error. Then it went further with me improving links between pages in areas that I feel I have some grounding. Then eventually I could resist no longer - I started new pages for topics that (disturbingly) had been neglected by other players to date.
So far I have contributed two short items. One is on a thing I somewhat like (the Transformer Reflector that has since been incorporated into the general Transformers page) while the other is on a thing I somewhat dislike (the National Civic Council historically associated with the Democratic Labor Party) but both were I think deserving of inclusion. Interestingly the former has been improved by other players while the latter has been left as is - what does this say of the relative worth accorded these two topics by the players of this game?
Most players on Wikipedia play nice. I see something that needs changing and I change it in a way that preserves the intent of the last player. They may come back and make a further modification but once more with what I had to contribute in mind. But there also seem to be some who just brutally alter things in the most provocative manner.
I noted that the Wikipedia entry on the Evanescence album The Open Door only credited its central band members rather than all the guest musicians acknowledged in the album sleeve notes. So I fixed it. But then at some later date I discovered that someone had reverted to just the band. What! Do they think that the music on that album could possibly be produced by a conventional band and neglect all the programming and orchestral textures? The decks are as key to that music as are guitars. I wonder what state the list will be in today.
And Another Thing
I forgot to mention that I also started an entry on Uncyclopedia itself - Arthropods have a rather different origin than you may think...
So far I have contributed two short items. One is on a thing I somewhat like (the Transformer Reflector that has since been incorporated into the general Transformers page) while the other is on a thing I somewhat dislike (the National Civic Council historically associated with the Democratic Labor Party) but both were I think deserving of inclusion. Interestingly the former has been improved by other players while the latter has been left as is - what does this say of the relative worth accorded these two topics by the players of this game?
Most players on Wikipedia play nice. I see something that needs changing and I change it in a way that preserves the intent of the last player. They may come back and make a further modification but once more with what I had to contribute in mind. But there also seem to be some who just brutally alter things in the most provocative manner.
I noted that the Wikipedia entry on the Evanescence album The Open Door only credited its central band members rather than all the guest musicians acknowledged in the album sleeve notes. So I fixed it. But then at some later date I discovered that someone had reverted to just the band. What! Do they think that the music on that album could possibly be produced by a conventional band and neglect all the programming and orchestral textures? The decks are as key to that music as are guitars. I wonder what state the list will be in today.
And Another Thing
I forgot to mention that I also started an entry on Uncyclopedia itself - Arthropods have a rather different origin than you may think...
Labels: Internet Observations
posted by Dan at
11.1.07
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4 Comments
