week1 : "Introduction.." - ljhwa(이진화)

 Summary

After attending two lectures, the first week has passed. I have learned the basic concepts of Wikipedia and practiced basic editing through the training course. Wikipedia is one of the largest repositories of knowledge, known for its convenience and accessibility. This entire process takes place at no cost, meaning that all content is freely available for anyone to use. However, being free to use does not mean that it is without copyright. Wikipedia is strictly governed by copyright policies, and ensuring compliance with these policies is crucial to its operation.


Any new, interesting, or unusual items learned

Anyone can write and edit articles on Wikipedia, and the fact that this entire process is conducted on a non-profit basis made me reflect on humanity’s pursuit of knowledge.


Identify at least one question, concern, or discussion

Wikipedia contains an enormous amount of information that would be difficult to maintain if only a small number of individuals were responsible for editing it. Are there "professional editors" who manage this process? Considering that Wikipedia is a non-profit organization, do people dedicate a significant portion of their daily lives to editing it despite receiving no financial compensation? Is it simply out of a sense of duty to "preserve knowledge" that one engages in editing Wikipedia?

Comments

  1. Yeonseo KooMarch 15, 2025 at 11:05 PM

    As to your first question I am not sure if there are "administrators" who control Wikipedia. However, it is common for experts to contribute to Wikipedia, especially in science. (Medicine, for example, can be quite difficult to edit as non-professionals!) As to your second question, given that most users claim to edit wiki for fun, they would not really care about the reward. Contributors are not immersed in wiki editing enough to interfere with their daily lives.

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