Last Saturday I had tadpole problems. You read that right: tadpole problems. I was cleaning out my horse's water trough and found some tiny tadpoles. Or were they puny pollywogs? Whatever they were, I scooped them out and put them in an unused trough, where I hope to raise them to full froghood. To make sure I raise them properly, I uttered a familiar cry when I got home: "To Wikipedia!"
In case you're unfamiliar with Wikipedia, it can be described in a nutshell as an online collaborative encyclopedia. Anyone with expertise regarding a particular subject can write and post an article about that subject. OK, you say, I know lots of people who think they're experts regarding something, whereas many of their friends and colleagues would beg to disagree with that status. Don't worry; Wikipedia has a number of ways to make sure articles are accurate. For example, Wikipedia's guidelines encourage article writers to cite their sources. And because Wikipedia is a collaborative effort, Wikipedia readers can make changes to an article, from fixing typos to adding or correcting information. (A record of changes accompanies each article.) Of course, disputes about and article's accuracy, neutrality, and other factors can arise. If there are problems that can't be solved by contributors, a Wikipedia administrator might step in.
Despite everyone's best efforts and intentions, some articles might contain inaccuracies or disputed information. Even the folks at Wikipedia advise against using it as the sole source for research, saying "The best way to decide whether a particular statement is accurate is to find independent, reliable sources to affirm that statement, such as books, magazine articles, television news stories, trade journals or web sites." Good advice when reading an article from any source.
Wikipedia currently features about 9 million articles in more than 250 languages (more than 2 million of those articles are in English). Therefore, if you want information about a particular subject, chances are it's in Wikipedia. To find out, just go to www.wikipedia.org and type a word in the search box. I typed "tadpoles" and went to — oops! — an article about the 1990s psychedelic rock band Tadpole. However, at the top of that article was a convenient link to "tadpole," which took me to an article about my friends, the larval amphibians.
Tip: If you have a few spare minutes, try the Random article link on the left side of any Wikipedia page. Even if you don't find a subject that interests you, it's a fascinating peek at the scope of Wikipedia's articles. (A recent foray into randomness netted me articles on the Cajun accordion player Nathan Abshire, landmarks of St. Petersburg; mobster Joseph "Joe Dogs" Iannuzi, and Ethiopian cuisine.)
One of the great things about Wikipedia articles is that they include links to other Wikipedia articles. For example, a link in the tadpole article went to a more detailed article on metamorphosis. However, I didn't need to know the scientific details of metamorphosis; I needed to know what to feed my tadpoles. I was in luck, as the tadpole article included two links to external (non-Wikipedia) articles about raising tadpoles. My questions were answered.
Tip: Many Wikipedia pages include a lot of text, links, and graphics. If you're having trouble displaying a page, you might be better off viewing a minimalist, graphics-free version of it by using Skweezer (go to www.Skweezer.net and follow the instructions there).
So, if you're going about your daily business and come up with a question — about pretty much anything — see if Wikipedia can help you out. You're bound to learn something!
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