Tech Stream

Wiki Wars

25 March 2009

Was pavlova invented in New Zealand or Australia? Is Daffy Duck a dad? What genre is Nickelback? Pop rock? Soft rock? Post grunge? Or as one user suggested, buttrock?

These are just some of the wars going on amongst Wikipedia editors. We all know the site’s gimmick, anyone can change almost anything. But what are the practical implications of that? And how is it policed? Turns out Wikipedia isn’t as free love as it looks.

Juliette O’Brien and Michael Atkin from Triple J’s Hack radio program investigated. Take a listen (link to MP3 file).