Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2008-09-22/In the news

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In the news

By Enochlau, 22 September, 2008

Wikipedia: built on cooperation and collaboration

Wikipedia depends on collaboration for success (18 September 2008, Daily Trojan)

Professor Robert E. Kraut of Carnegie Mellon University discussed the factors that are involved in the success of online communities, and his own research into the coordination techniques of Wikipedia. Success in an online community can be defined in a number of ways, but to succeed, online communities need to overcome challenges such as a lack of response to posts, recruiting members and welcoming newcomers. Focusing on Wikipedia, Kraut says that Wikipedia articles require "an awful lot of substantial coordination", for example, in planning the article or dealing with disputes. There is explicit coordination (such as through planning and discussing) and implicit coordination (such as through structuring), he says, and the coordination work will lie beneath the surface of the article.

Other mentions

Other recent mentions in the online media include:

• Defining the Bush Doctrine: Not as Simple as it Sounds (15 September 2008, The Wall Street Journal blogs)
  Sarah Palin's gaffe focuses attention on the Bush Doctrine article.
• Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales on wiki success and failure (11 September 2008, ZDNet blogs)
  Listen to a podcast where Jimmy Wales discusses the factors that lead to success or failure for a wiki, such as critical mass.