Friday, July 29, 2005
I wonder what watching the news would be like
As I type, a major raid by armed police is going down in West London. And as ever, I'm not just sitting watching the TV or listening to the radion - I'm typing away on Wikinews, just as with the Underground shooting, 7/7, and many before that, too...
It's as if I can't just sit back and watch things unfold - I feel a desire to update Wikinews too!
It's as if I can't just sit back and watch things unfold - I feel a desire to update Wikinews too!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
It seems many Wikinewsies are :-).
For the last week or so, since we picked up many new editors after the London bombings, I've come to the site to write an article, only to find one already exists.
This is, of course, a good thing. And I can work collaboratively on these articles.
I do just sometimes wish I'd been first though, 'cos then I could add it to my "new article count" - which stands now stands at 110!
For the last week or so, since we picked up many new editors after the London bombings, I've come to the site to write an article, only to find one already exists.
This is, of course, a good thing. And I can work collaboratively on these articles.
I do just sometimes wish I'd been first though, 'cos then I could add it to my "new article count" - which stands now stands at 110!
Saturday, July 16, 2005
We're great
I know I tend to moan a lot on here, but it's mainly about behind-the-scenes stuff no-one would really notice unless they started to poke around big time. So I think I should balance things up a bit.
We are, in fact, doing great. For the last week or so we've covered all the big news and much of the smaller stuff too, and on the whole the articles have been good. Our traffic rank rocketed after London - and stayed high. The RSS doubled to over 2,100 readers in a week, too.
In fact, we're beginning to close the gap on Indymedia - not bad for a site that's twelve times younger.
It might not be long at all until we're the biggest citizen journalism website in the world.
We are, in fact, doing great. For the last week or so we've covered all the big news and much of the smaller stuff too, and on the whole the articles have been good. Our traffic rank rocketed after London - and stayed high. The RSS doubled to over 2,100 readers in a week, too.
In fact, we're beginning to close the gap on Indymedia - not bad for a site that's twelve times younger.
It might not be long at all until we're the biggest citizen journalism website in the world.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
The Thin Line
Sometimes Wikinews seems to be walking a thin line between greatness and madness.
On the madness side of things we have people who both seem to disregard existing policy (often carefully created to keep things sane) yet at the same time make up stuff as they go. Such characters wouldn't last five minutes on Wikipedia; but as was been pointed out on a mailing list recently, some Wikinews editors are only here because Wikipedia would not tolerate them, and we're too wolly-minded to do anything about them.
You also have to wonder about the other editors who are so willing to cut people slack - what is our aim? To create a first class news service or to be nice and wikiloving to every troublemaker, even when they are harming the site?
And sometimes you just get total nutters, like the guy who is creating blank article after blank article, and another who wrote a 'news' story complaining that Mediawiki doesn't feature RSS.
On the other hand, sometimes we get things very right. But not, it has to be said, as often as we get it wrong. These moments though show our potential, and are the motivation for why I carry on...
On the madness side of things we have people who both seem to disregard existing policy (often carefully created to keep things sane) yet at the same time make up stuff as they go. Such characters wouldn't last five minutes on Wikipedia; but as was been pointed out on a mailing list recently, some Wikinews editors are only here because Wikipedia would not tolerate them, and we're too wolly-minded to do anything about them.
You also have to wonder about the other editors who are so willing to cut people slack - what is our aim? To create a first class news service or to be nice and wikiloving to every troublemaker, even when they are harming the site?
And sometimes you just get total nutters, like the guy who is creating blank article after blank article, and another who wrote a 'news' story complaining that Mediawiki doesn't feature RSS.
On the other hand, sometimes we get things very right. But not, it has to be said, as often as we get it wrong. These moments though show our potential, and are the motivation for why I carry on...
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Another view of Wikinews on Thursday
CGorman - another Wikinewsie - also also written a blog post on Thursday's events, and our coverage. He mentions our various mentions in both the mainstream media and blogs, but also points out how good our fact-checking is - probably the thing I am proudest of.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
One day in London
What a terrible day Thursday was.
At first I didn't understand the magnitude of the events - only that something serious was happening. Later, maybe my efforts with Wikinews became some kind of coping stratergy... I don't know. What I do know is that I was pretty cut up at times that morning. Thank goodness the toll is a relatively low 50 odd - no more than the number of people who've died in car crashes this week. Takes nothing away from the horror of the events, but puts it into perspective.
As far as how Wikinews faired, I think my mail to the board of the Wikimedia foundation sums it up:
> >(09:44:11) Dan100: is anyone live?
> >(09:44:16) Dan100: I need help ASAP
> >(09:44:28) Dan100: explosions across London
> Underground
> >(09:44:32) Dan100: it's chaos
>
> Oh yes, I got help alright.
>
> We were the first on the web with the news,
> anywhere:
> http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Coordinated_terrorist_attack_hits_London&oldid=96968
>
> Within a few hours, a team of people were working to
> create the most up-to-date and most authorative news
> article anywhere on the Internet. Co-ordinating
> ourselves largely through the IRC channel (which
> anyone can access with just their browser using a
> simple link), we had people from both around the
> world
> and right in London searching for photographs,
> getting
> permission to use them, taking notes from spokesmen
> and press conferences, and constantly updating and
> fact-checking our articles.
>
> Twenty-four hours later, our main article -
>
> http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Coordinated_terrorist_attack_hits_London&oldid=98893
>
> has had some 60,000 hits. Small in comparison to any
> major news service, but it proves we're on the map.
>
> Our articles were listed on the Main Page as they
> were
> written. The lead articles were updated in moments.
> Everyone arriving at the site instantly could see
> what
> was happening and where to go to read more. Due to
> our
> much more rigorous fact-checking, our articles were
> consistently more accurate and more update-to-date
> throughout the day than the single Wikipedia
> article.
> To sum - with Wikinews, you could find more
> information, which was more accurate, in less time,
> than with Wikipedia.
>
> And tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after
> that, we'll go on reporting the news of the world
> with
> equally high standards of journalism. The difference
> between a dedicated news service and an
> encycolopaedia.
>
> Yesterday, we proved that the model of massively
> distributed citizen journalism not only works, but
> works extraordinarily well.
>
>
>
> Dan
At first I didn't understand the magnitude of the events - only that something serious was happening. Later, maybe my efforts with Wikinews became some kind of coping stratergy... I don't know. What I do know is that I was pretty cut up at times that morning. Thank goodness the toll is a relatively low 50 odd - no more than the number of people who've died in car crashes this week. Takes nothing away from the horror of the events, but puts it into perspective.
As far as how Wikinews faired, I think my mail to the board of the Wikimedia foundation sums it up:
> >(09:44:11) Dan100: is anyone live?
> >(09:44:16) Dan100: I need help ASAP
> >(09:44:28) Dan100: explosions across London
> Underground
> >(09:44:32) Dan100: it's chaos
>
> Oh yes, I got help alright.
>
> We were the first on the web with the news,
> anywhere:
> http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Coordinated_terrorist_attack_hits_London&oldid=96968
>
> Within a few hours, a team of people were working to
> create the most up-to-date and most authorative news
> article anywhere on the Internet. Co-ordinating
> ourselves largely through the IRC channel (which
> anyone can access with just their browser using a
> simple link), we had people from both around the
> world
> and right in London searching for photographs,
> getting
> permission to use them, taking notes from spokesmen
> and press conferences, and constantly updating and
> fact-checking our articles.
>
> Twenty-four hours later, our main article -
>
> http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Coordinated_terrorist_attack_hits_London&oldid=98893
>
> has had some 60,000 hits. Small in comparison to any
> major news service, but it proves we're on the map.
>
> Our articles were listed on the Main Page as they
> were
> written. The lead articles were updated in moments.
> Everyone arriving at the site instantly could see
> what
> was happening and where to go to read more. Due to
> our
> much more rigorous fact-checking, our articles were
> consistently more accurate and more update-to-date
> throughout the day than the single Wikipedia
> article.
> To sum - with Wikinews, you could find more
> information, which was more accurate, in less time,
> than with Wikipedia.
>
> And tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after
> that, we'll go on reporting the news of the world
> with
> equally high standards of journalism. The difference
> between a dedicated news service and an
> encycolopaedia.
>
> Yesterday, we proved that the model of massively
> distributed citizen journalism not only works, but
> works extraordinarily well.
>
>
>
> Dan
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Setting the record straight about Live8
I'm stunned at how many people, even African bloggers, don't understand Live8.
Some question how this will effect the price of tomatoes an African farmer gets at market. Well, markets dictate prices, and markets are dictated by trade policies. And trade policies are set by the G8. It's as simple as that - if the G8 made trade fair - if they binned their obscene farming subsidies, in particular - that African farmer will get a better price for his tomatoes.
Are you listening, Mr Chircac?
They also dispute how increasing aid will help. These bloggers are obviously a million miles away from the parts of Africa which are being torn apart by war, or are being devestated by drought. (In fact, if they've got internet access, they probably are.) Oh yes, more aid is needed. It will not cure all of Africa's problems, but no-one is pretending that it will.
It will save lives though.
In fact, aid goes a lot further. Small amounts of money can provide a water sanitation system. Tools for farming. A cart to transport their goods to market. It's tiny stuff, but it sets the people firmly on the road to development. But don't depend on governments to do the spending - do your part, too.
Possibly the most astonishing is how pedantic some are over people saying things like "the African problem". Everyone knows what that's referring to - the parts of Africa which really do have problems. People realise it's not all doom and gloom there - but in a lot of places it is. And people aren't going to say "the problems in certain parts of Africa, namely Sudan, Congo..." every time they want to talk about the subject. But most of all, how does saying that compare in terms of being a problem to the fact that 50,000 people do die of porverty, every single day?
Honestly, get some perspective.
More than anything though, some people are not realising the true power of Live8 and the Make Poverty History campaign. All the G8 countries are democracies. And because of the Live8, all the voter's eyes will be on their leaders at the G8 summit. Those leaders know that, and they know that if they don't come up with the goods, they're going to feel it at the ballot box. Nothing motivates a politician more.
That's the true power of Live8. Thank you, Bob, Midge, Richard!
So tell the politicians that you care. But don't forget to do your bit - you can make trade fair yourself, today. If you are in the UK, at least, buy Fairtrade goods whenever you can, and help people, directly.
Some question how this will effect the price of tomatoes an African farmer gets at market. Well, markets dictate prices, and markets are dictated by trade policies. And trade policies are set by the G8. It's as simple as that - if the G8 made trade fair - if they binned their obscene farming subsidies, in particular - that African farmer will get a better price for his tomatoes.
Are you listening, Mr Chircac?
They also dispute how increasing aid will help. These bloggers are obviously a million miles away from the parts of Africa which are being torn apart by war, or are being devestated by drought. (In fact, if they've got internet access, they probably are.) Oh yes, more aid is needed. It will not cure all of Africa's problems, but no-one is pretending that it will.
It will save lives though.
In fact, aid goes a lot further. Small amounts of money can provide a water sanitation system. Tools for farming. A cart to transport their goods to market. It's tiny stuff, but it sets the people firmly on the road to development. But don't depend on governments to do the spending - do your part, too.
Possibly the most astonishing is how pedantic some are over people saying things like "the African problem". Everyone knows what that's referring to - the parts of Africa which really do have problems. People realise it's not all doom and gloom there - but in a lot of places it is. And people aren't going to say "the problems in certain parts of Africa, namely Sudan, Congo..." every time they want to talk about the subject. But most of all, how does saying that compare in terms of being a problem to the fact that 50,000 people do die of porverty, every single day?
Honestly, get some perspective.
More than anything though, some people are not realising the true power of Live8 and the Make Poverty History campaign. All the G8 countries are democracies. And because of the Live8, all the voter's eyes will be on their leaders at the G8 summit. Those leaders know that, and they know that if they don't come up with the goods, they're going to feel it at the ballot box. Nothing motivates a politician more.
That's the true power of Live8. Thank you, Bob, Midge, Richard!
So tell the politicians that you care. But don't forget to do your bit - you can make trade fair yourself, today. If you are in the UK, at least, buy Fairtrade goods whenever you can, and help people, directly.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Wikinews at its best?
OK so it's my story, but I do think this is a good example of what Wikinews can do very well.
It may well only be a synthesis of existing news reports, however it draws upon them all to give a complete over-view of the events in one article. Not one of the sources it is based upon gives all the details available.
You could get the same information by reading several different news sources. But why bother? Just read Wikinews :-).
It may well only be a synthesis of existing news reports, however it draws upon them all to give a complete over-view of the events in one article. Not one of the sources it is based upon gives all the details available.
You could get the same information by reading several different news sources. But why bother? Just read Wikinews :-).
