Encyclopedia Dramatic: Another Example of An Open-Source “Encyclopedia”

Wikipedia’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. Open source has allowed this site to flourish into the largest encyclopedia in the world. Yet, it is also the egalitarian access which leaves Wikipedia unable to claim itself as a “reliable” source of information. Here, the short comings of open source are evident. However, when examining another online encyclopedia, such as the Encyclopedia Dramatica, the negative aspects of open source and peer produced communities are easily over-looked, if not made the punch-line of many jokes.

Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Dramatica (ED) have much in common. They both pride themselves as being a wealth of information. As well, the two sites are both a result of peer production, which is defined by Tapscott and Williams as the process where egalitarian communities of volunteers self organize, and come together to create a shared outcome (67.) However, how they differ can largely be found in their intentions as web sites. Where Wikipedia strives to be accurate and objective, ED does the opposite.

As the ED’s “About” section explains, readers should be ready for “blatant, biased lies, and expect boring truths to get deleted quickly.” They strive to create satire and parody of the internet (which ED claims is “a series of tubes on a giant truck”), and simultaneously, mock Wikipedia’s aspirations to be “accurate” too. By fully embracing and exploiting their misinformation, ED parodies sites such as Wikipedia, which “fall victim” to open-source communities’ inability to always render “accurate” information.

Yet, whether ED is actually “funny” is still subject to debate. However, its credibility for being un-credible cannot be disputed. Unfortunately, for sites such as Wikipedia, the possibility of being a “credible” authority for information will always be elusive- if one were to believe what the Encyclopedia Dramatic has to say about it.

Making Sound Travel: Sharing & Linking on Myspace.com

If a musician writes a records and doesn’t upload it onto Myspace, does it make a sound? Well, sure it does, but before the advent of the internet (for the average person) this sound was limited in the distance it could travel and number of ears it could reach. However, now with online communities and the easy transference of digital information, people can create music and have it heard by almost anyone with a computer all over the world- assuming they network as well. Being online isn’t enough. It’s necessary to share and connect to one another- not only open up the possibility of finding a larger audience, but also to create opportunities to socially collaborate with others, something I learned first hand through using Myspace.com.

Although this networking site lacks a decent search engine or efficient tagging system to classify its musical content, the “Top Friends” section (a selection of links to other people’s pages) makes up for a lot of the organizational short-comings. I’ve found if you enjoy one group’s music, often someone in their “Top Friends” will suit your fancy as well. Using this method of browsing by association has lead me to numerous bands I really like, including a one man industrial act out of Los Angelas, entitled “Birth!” After “randomly” finding his profile on Myspace I became an avid fan, and looked forward to the chance of seeing him perform live in person. Eventually, an opportunity for this did arise. However, my involvement with this show would not be passive as I originally suspected. He was hoping to do a West Coast Tour and asked for my help in organizing a show in Vancouver. Having the summer off and needing something to do with my time, I decided to go beyond helping out with just one in town show and ended up touring with him as a “Roadie” from Portland to Vancouver instead.

(clip from a show at pub340 in vancouver)

Despite what Oprah tells you about online strangers, this turned out to be a great decision and the entire trip ended up being a lot of fun. Naturally, we had our mini-disasters along the way, including having to cancel a show due to a medical emergency, which also cut short our time to work on a music video together. However, I’d still consider the entire experience a success and a good example of the possibilities of collaboration over the internet, made possible through linking. If Tapscott and Williams believe that obscurity (and not piracy) is the real problem for artists, then my story affirms this. Sharing your work, being open and connecting to one another online can lead to opportunities you’d never come across when refusing to engage at all. We may not have found the financial gold mine talked about in “Wikinomics”, but that’s alright. Since when does adventure and friendship have to be an economic endeavor?

South Park Does Wikinomics

(The boys from South Park are told to go make “Internet Money” and turn to youtube for help…)

The prospect of finding financial success seems awfully alluring and distinctly possible after reading about the horizontal economic structure found and easily facilitated through the Internet.  Tappscott and Williams explain in their book “Wikinomics” how principals such as openness, peering, sharing and acting globally are the new models for business, and how the old ways of “closed” enterprising are rapidly becoming outdated (20.)

(They go to collect their money from the video, and meet a variety of other online sensations…)

When considering the success of a site such as Youtube.com, their confidence in the Internet seems well placed.  It is an enormous financial achievement, despite the fact it offers little more than a free online space for its users to create communities and upload their own creative works.  Yet, in allowing it’s users to generate the site’s content and connect to one another in this vast cultural video pool, the company has shown how profitable Wikinomics can be.

(They finally recieve “payment” for their work…)

However, sites such as Youtube also exhibit some of the (current) shortcomings of the web.  Tapscott and Williams speak of “economy for all” (33), but as the episode “Canada Goes On Strike” shows us, its not everyone who comes to profit from this medium.  The boys from the small town of South Park, Colorado, soon discover being an online phenomenon doesn’t mean you’ll be compensated for the actual revenue your work generates.

(Kyle’s final thoughts on what they’ve come to learn…)

Yet despite this, it is still worth considering what the internet does offer.  In the past, to have access to an international audience would require you to have a major contract with a network (like South Park does.)  Now, anyone can exhibit their work, be part of a niche market and colloborate with (almost) anyone, anywhere.  The internet may have its pitfalls, but rather than abandon it, it would be worth appreciating it for what it does still offer, and always remember:  there are other places to upload your videos, apart from youtube.  -Allison (SOCS300)

The full episode of South Park’s  “Canada Goes On Strike” (Season 12, Episode 4) can be found, free for download from the Comedy Network:  http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/south-park/season-12/south-park-1204–canada-on-strike/