Blogging through Invitation to Sociology (2024) - overflow

As open and inclusive as Wikipedia may seem, it also draws clear boundaries about what doesn’t belong. The first half of the video “Understanding Wikipedia: The Scope of Wikipedia, Deletion and Notability” and Chapter 6 of Joseph Reagle’s Good Faith Collaboration reveal how Wikipedia defines its limits—and why those limits matter. What Wikipedia Is Not One of the most important community guidelines is actually titled “What Wikipedia Is Not.” As the video explains, Wikipedia is not a soapbox, a blog, a directory, or a place to publish original research. Its purpose is not to host everything —only notable, verifiable content that meets its standards for neutrality and reliability. This ensures the platform doesn’t get overwhelmed with self-promotion, fringe theories, or trivial content. The concept of notability plays a key role. For a subject to have its own article, it must have received significant coverage in reliable, independent sources. This guideline isn’t about popularit...

One of the most important lessons from contributing to Wikipedia—or doing any kind of research—is understanding how to find and use reliable sources . The video “How to Find Reliable Sources for Your Research” offers practical tools and strategies for doing just that, while Chapter 4 of Joseph Reagle’s Good Faith Collaboration reveals how the Wikipedia community navigates the complexity of sourcing in an open, collaborative space. Why Reliable Sources Matter As the video explains, not all information is created equal. Wikipedia’s core content policies— verifiability , no original research , and neutral point of view —depend heavily on the use of trustworthy, third-party sources. The video breaks down the differences between scholarly articles, books, reputable news outlets, and less reliable sources like personal blogs or user-generated content. It also provides helpful tips, such as using library databases, checking an author’s credentials, and identifying bias. This careful sou...

In the early days of the internet, the web was a mostly static space—pages were created by a few and read by many. But the rise of Web 2.0 changed everything. In the first part of the video “Wikis and Internet 2.0” , we see how platforms like blogs, forums, and especially wikis shifted the web from being a broadcasting tool to a participatory space. Users weren’t just consuming information—they were creating it. Wikipedia is the clearest and most successful example of this transformation. At the core of this shift is the idea of collaborative production , and that’s exactly what Joseph Reagle explores in Chapter 2 of Good Faith Collaboration . Titled “The Puzzle of Openness” , this chapter asks a central question: how can a platform that allows anyone to edit remain functional, accurate, and civil? The answer lies in Wikipedia’s carefully balanced openness. As Reagle explains, Wikipedia is open in a technical sense (anyone can edit), a cultural sense (there’s an ethic of transpar...

After watching the videos “What is Wikipedia,” “Basics of Editing,” and “Explanation of the Wiki Dashboard Feature,” and reading Chapter 1 of Joseph Reagle’s Good Faith Collaboration , I’ve gained a deeper understanding of not only how Wikipedia functions but why it works the way it does. What Wikipedia Is (and Isn't) Wikipedia isn’t just an encyclopedia—it’s a living, breathing project made by people, not institutions. The “What is Wikipedia” video emphasizes this point: Wikipedia is free to use, free to edit, and free to redistribute. Unlike traditional encyclopedias written by experts behind closed doors, Wikipedia is transparent, open, and evolving. It is based on the Wikimedia Foundation’s mission to make knowledge accessible to all, and it is written collaboratively by volunteers across the globe. The Basics of Editing The “Basics of Editing” video makes it clear: anyone can jump in and make a contribution. Wikipedia uses a markup language called Wikitext, which may se...

In a world overflowing with online information, Wikipedia stands out—not just for its vast range of content, but for how it is created. After watching “Why Wikipedia” and “How to Leave (and Read) a Wikipedia Talk Message,” and reading the introduction materials from Joseph Reagle’s Good Faith Collaboration, I’ve come to see that Wikipedia is more than a website—it’s a community built on trust, transparency, and a shared belief in the value of open knowledge. The “Why Wikipedia” video explains that Wikipedia is driven by a radical idea: anyone can edit. This openness has obvious risks, but surprisingly, it works. Why? Because Wikipedians follow a core principle called “good faith.” The idea is that editors assume others are acting with good intentions. They might disagree or make mistakes, but they are seen as partners in a shared mission, not enemies. This idea of good faith collaboration is explored deeply in Reagle’s writings. In the Foreword, Lawrence Lessig praises Wikipedia as an ...