"Can Wikipedia Ever Make the Grade?" mentions that Wikipedia has very good science articles. The idea that an internet entry created and edited by "hobbyists, teenagers, and even the occassional troll" has as much legitimacy as one written by a scholar completely boggles my mind. Perhaps students' fears about O-Chem could be mitigated if professors assigned reading from Wikipedia...

The fact that many people on Wikipedia are very devoted to this issue of quality intrigues me. I believe (this could be a misconception) that anyone obsessed with the Internet is socially awkward, has way too much time, never spends much time outside, and values knowledge that most people would consider unimportant or trivial. The person that comes to mind is the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.

In any episode, the Comic Book Guy lives within his own world spouting terminology that only he understands. The quote off the top of my head is, "Stan Lee just insulted me. But in Bizarro World, he likes me." As you can tell, he has very undeveloped social skills and treasures information that many would not consider knowledge.

I feel that many of these Wikimaniacs are similar to him. They make Wikipedia more important than it is. Of course, this is the reading's issue. Whether or not scholars contribute to this site, I do not believe Wikipedia will ever be considered a legitimate source for academic work. The freedom provided by the internet contains way too much baggage for sites like Wikipedia to be considered reputable and credible.