Paid Wikipedia editing & disclosure series, 2015
Drawing by Nicholas Boudreau, licensed CC BY
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Author Archives: Pete Forsyth
Merry Christmas! Simple things anyone can do for improved digital hygiene
The holiday season is a great time to talk to loved ones about how we can all improve the ways we use technology and the Internet. There are many areas of concern around protecting your interests and information online. It … Continue reading
WikiCite conference: Wind in the “Newspapers on Wikipedia” sails
The WikiCite 2018 conference in Berkeley, California was an exciting meeting of the minds. There were a number of good developments for the Newspapers on Wikipedia (NOW) campaign. Here, I’ll recap those that stood out to me, as well as … Continue reading
Posted in edit-a-thon, events, journalism, wiki, Wikidata, Wikipedia, Wikipedia and education
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Katherine Maher on Wikimedia’s evolving strategic priorities: Reflections on her WikiCite 2018 talk
I relished the opportunity to hear Katherine Maher, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, speak about strategic priorities at the November 2018 WikiCite conference. The organization has had its ups and downs in strategic planning over the years. This was … Continue reading
Proposal for funding from the AI Ethics Challenge
I submitted the following project proposal for the Artificial Intelligence Ethics Challenge: Unpacking Wikipedia’s Lessons for Journalism In its 18 years, Wikipedia has established itself as a titan of the Internet, built on a model utterly different from other top … Continue reading
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A proven innovation could benefit Facebook’s users—and its shareholders, too.
Concern about social media and the quality of news is running high, with many commentators focusing on bias and factual accuracy (often summarized as “fake news”). If efforts to regulate sites like Facebook are successful, they could affect the bottom … Continue reading
Posted in core, governance, history, journalism, leadership, User experience, wiki, Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia
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“Open” everything, and minimal financial needs: Wikipedia’s strengths
What insulates Wikipedia from the criticisms other massive platforms endure? We explored some answers—core values, lack of personalization algorithms, and lack of data collection—in last week’s “How Wikipedia Dodged Public Outcry Plaguing Social Media Platforms.” But wait, there’s more: Wikipedia … Continue reading
How Wikipedia dodged public outcry plaguing social media platforms
Everybody has an opinion about how to govern social media platforms. It’s mostly because they’ve shown they’re not too good at governing themselves. We see headlines about which famous trolls are banned from what sites. Tech company executives are getting … Continue reading
Posted in core, governance, journalism, Statements of Ethics, Uncategorized, wiki, Wikipedia
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A peek behind the scenes in the $289M Monsanto verdict
Both sides in a similar Monsanto lawsuit tried to bend Wikipedia to their will On August 10, a jury hit Monsanto with a $289 million verdict, the latest in a string of lawsuits linking the agrochemical giant’s products and byproducts to … Continue reading
Posted in Beginner how-to, conflict of interest, core, governance, government, How-to, paid editing, wiki, Wikipedia
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“According to Wikipedia…”
THREE WORDS EVEN FANS OF WIKIPEDIA SHOULD AVOID This week, I heard a wonderful news story about the song “This Little Light of Mine.” It was a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of a beloved piece of Americana—and exactly the kind of … Continue reading
Wikipedia’s ban of Daily Mail exposes news publisher flaws
Who doesn’t love a good media feud? As reported by the Guardian on February 8, the English language Wikipedia has (mostly) banned the Daily Mail as an acceptable source for citation, after declaring it “unreliable”. The report touched a nerve; the Mail swiftly issued … Continue reading
Posted in governance, journalism, wiki, Wikipedia
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User:Peteforsyth
Pete Forsyth