Week6.2--Wikipedia article reading blog--LI LINLIN

 1)Summary:

Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is by Joseph M. Reagle Jr. A book published in 2010 explores the culture of Wikipedia and its community. The book was first published by MIT Press on August 27, 2010. This book is an ethnographic study of Wikipedia's history, its practical and theoretical forerunners, and includes collaborative practices.

The book is described as a groundbreaking ethnographic study of Wikipedia culture. The author's main argument is that "Wikipedia's success may be less dependent on technology and more a result of the Wikipedia community and its cultural norms".

The book is based on the author's doctoral thesis, and he is a scholar specializing in the sociology of the Internet and a Wikipedia volunteer. In writing this book, he has made extensive use of documents generated by the Wikipedia community, such as content pages, discussion pages, mailing lists, press releases, and gatherings.

The book consists of 8 chapters including the introduction. The book delves into everything from Wikipedia's history and its vision to pursue a global encyclopedia, to Wikipedia's consensus and collaborative practices, the mystery of openness, the decision-making process, and the general and critical discussion about Wikipedia. The authors emphasize that Wikipedia's "assumed good faith" policy is key to the project's success. By analyzing Wikipedia's decision-making process, the challenges of consensus, the role of Wikipedia founder Jim Wales, and Wikipedia's "amateurism," it also explores how Wikipedia has achieved its stated goals and how Wikipedia culture has contributed to its success.

The Wikipedia article also features reviews of the book by various publishers and other authors. William S. Kowinski praised the book for its excellent description of how Wikipedia works and what went wrong, describing it as one of the best opportunities to learn about this outstanding project. Doctorow emphasized that the most fascinating and unprecedented aspect of Wikipedia is not the encyclopedia itself, but the collaborative culture that underpins it: argumentative, self-reflective, humorous, serious, and fully committed to the project. Other reviewers also offered their opinions, generally praising the book for its in-depth analysis of Wikipedia's culture and its contribution to a collaborative culture and open content community. Taken as a whole, these reviews reflect the book's importance and innovation in exploring Wikipedia's culture, history, and collaborative practices.

2) New knowledge points:

Wikipedia's emphasis on "assumed good will," "collaborative culture," and "consensus decision-making," which the author mentions several times in the book and gives relevant explanations and examples, the author emphasizes that it is not so much the technology of Wikipedia that makes it successful, but the cultural and social norms of the communities behind it. How Wikipedians interact with each other, how they resolve conflicts, and how they co-create content make for a unique and complex collaborative environment.

3) Q: In addition to Wikipedia, do other websites you contact use or emphasize the culture of collaboration?

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