Wikipedia Entries Required for Journal Authors; and Second Thoughts on Second Life
December 19, 2008
Wikipedia is Winning
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s the philosophy the journal RNA Biology is adopting after realizing that for unpublished scientific information not contained in databases such as PubMed, information-seekers are turning to search engines, which ultimately leads them to Wikipedia, the de-facto authority on the web. They have decided to require all potential authors to submit a Wikipedia entry as well as their article proposal. This is an important move and one I think other publishers and other institutions (including libraries, archival institutions and special collections) should adopt as well. Don’t bemoan the fact that users are going to Wikipedia for information; help improve Wikipedia with your institutional knowledge!
Second Life, not so much
My viewpoint on Second Life in libraries is this: let’s wait this thing out. The technology is still nascent and after 5 years, Second Life has yet to truly take off. Libraries are struggling now with connecting with their users and allowing them to seamlessly access their content. Why put up a buggy, sluggish and sometimes creepy, barrier.
Anyway, others feel the same way regarding virtual worlds: Google just recently pulled the plug on Lively and a Reuters reporter has some honest reporting on SL. I’m not counting out virtual worlds completely, though. With the popularity of Webkinz, Club Penguin and most recently Animal Crossing, there still is a place for this type of technology.
