Wikipedia the source of knowledge
It is an educational starting point for a student, wikipedia is often described as digital wall covered with digital graffiti that might have content covering lot of personal or espousing vendetta or insane reading material but the fact is wikipedia is full of knowledge. It contains material that can help anyone provide with useful knowledge. It is perfect refuse for a person who wants to reach to a particular point of knowledge within seconds to know about a particular subject. One can search a particular subject for hours in different libraries and bookstores but a singe click with right keywords or a matching phrase would take you to the right pages instantly.
People spend hours seeking on petty information through different sources or looking at each other when it comes to know about unknown topics. What I feel that Internet is one of the best sources especially for ignorant people like us who know very little about so many developments taking place at such a rapid speed, and wikipedia is perhaps the best collection on different subjects on one single platform. After spending hours and hours of one’s precious time researching for a particular subject one would not be able to gather as much knowledge as much one can gather clicking on wikipedia pages. I agree that whole information posted there may not be true but then one who is seeking it can always distinguish it and sort out the content as per his requirement.
Wikipedia is big source of knowledge
People may have their preconceptions about this great website but if they put them aside they will find it a great entry point for knowledge, which is equivalent to encyclopedia that covers probably on each subject from people to history and fiction to real world. As far as I know, it contains a ‘did you know type’ page on its main search tab that would answer to all your queries on any topic, including how you can share your knowledge, add information or articles etc.
I would like to give you an example here
I typed a query regarding IPL controversy in a rather casual manner and boy, would you believe what I found on the page that opened, you can check it by typing it ‘controversies involving the Indian premier league’ what an eye opener covering the topic so widely in so big details. The best part of the page that opened was that it was relatively unbiased academic way rather than gossiping and spreading rumors as most sites generally do. The page had information on primary as well secondary information in a learned factual manner.
Many of us feel that we know too much or have lot of knowledge on almost every subject but what I fee that most of us. I can say that about myself at least that if I were to pass a cookery test I would probably go as far to boiling potatoes, peeling them, spreading a little bit of pepper and salt and eat them. That would probably describe my complete cooking experience. This is of course in the reference of knowledge and wikipedia, which can provide you a whole set of authentic information on different topics with almost no efforts and even the learned academicians would vouch for that. And there perhaps lies the beauty of the site that right from a layman to learned finds it equally worthy. One comes across any information on any given subject right from basic knowledge to complex details.
I give you another example
I casually typed ISO ANZ in the search bar of the laptop which is set to Australian default searches provided by my organization here in Sydney, today in the very early morning as I have not yet adjusted myself to local conditions despite the place is not new for me. The results of my search was rather amazing, I was expecting a random news but it opened a completely new chapter which is not part of my regular course but I found it really helpful and hence this article. What I found was a chapter on management of safety purpose if a particular ISO clause applied.
Funny side of wikipedia
You may come across some strange news sometimes even if you have typed right phrases or keywords in search bar because you thought those were right according to your query but the search results may take you to altogether different pages totally beyond your expectations. For instance if you typed ‘Ram was born in India and he crossed Indian Ocean at’ you can find yourself at a site where a shipbuilding activities might be in process somewhere across Indian Ocean.
Secondly, as wikipedia allows to login and write/add/amend articles you might come across information posted by a revisionist, a person who analyzed the facts in his own unique ways having lots of personal accounts to settle. Wikipedia in general is like complete internet in itself minus the pop-up etc which Internet has to offer otherwise but you must be a little careful as how to use and trust it because wikipedia also has its fool’s day. It might not come often but once in a year but it comes for sure and you must know it. But if you discount these minor things from this great website, it is a great site to add to your knowledge. I must add at this point that this site has no advertisement revenue generation and runs on donations therefore if anyone wishes to contribute through smallest of donations wikipedia accepts it gratefully.
Conclusion about wikipedia
If you are still struggling to know where to gather knowledge about different topics there is no place like wikipedia if you know what you are looking for exactly but do remember to be particular about your phrases and do not forget to cross check. Never trust any thing with blindfolds on as it could be entirely a different info that you were looking for and a singe wrong keyword took you to a different page although it might have similar material. Be especially careful with western names, as you never know whether you were reading about John F. Kennedy or John Kennedy who could be any thing from a football coach to a porn star and taken to a football site or a dating site instead finding facts about ex president of the United States of America.