# Is Wikipedia more reliable ...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134 "2012-07-13T19:18:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/61 "2012-08-01T04:47:17Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > I remember back when I first started posting to Wikipedia, I got into a dispute with someone who reverted my edits. I read the rules, which say that you can revert something twice in a day. I did so an reported the other poster when they made three reverts. We were then \*both \*suspended for a couple of days. When i queried the suspension, I was told by another admin, not the one who suspended me, that although the main rule was two reverts, that was just a guideline and it was considered against the rules to revert even twice. On later occasions I reported the other poster after two reverts, and not a damn thing happened. No reply form the admins, and teh vandals kept reverting. After nothing was done about the vandals, I would have [filed a request for page protection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_page_protection). ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/62 "2012-08-01T08:49:19Z")
> [@engjs](#): > > Well, firstly very few people understand Wikipedia well enough to look at the history or the talk page and check out where stuff comes from. They see an article in Wikipedia, they think it’s the only version. I don’t know of anyone for whom that is the immediate assumption. > [@engjs](#): > > But more importantly, if I see something in Wikipedia that was written by SplodgeWins, who the \* is SplodgeWins and what qualifies him to comment? This is an appeal to authority. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/63 "2012-08-01T12:01:23Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > After nothing was done about the vandals, I would have [filed a request for page protection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_page_protection). > [@gamerunknown](#): > > I don’t know of anyone for whom that is the immediate assumption. > This is an appeal to authority. Both of you are seem to be living in a perfect world. The truth is that 99% of the rest of the world don’t have time for this BS. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/64 "2012-08-01T15:47:00Z")
Bolding mine. > [@srzss05](#): > > The truth is that 99% of the rest of the world **don’t have time for this BS.** And people wonder why Wikipedia has such a bad rep. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/65 "2012-08-01T21:09:29Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Bolding mine.And people wonder why Wikipedia has such a bad rep. No, we \*know \*why it has such a bad rep. We’ve outlined those reasons in some detail. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/66 "2012-08-01T22:22:17Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > No, we \*know \*why it has such a bad rep. We’ve outlined those reasons in some detail. Pardon me, but your sarcasmeter needs to be recalibrated. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/67 "2012-08-01T22:34:45Z")
What was that whooshing sound? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/68 "2012-08-02T19:39:04Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > But there was no punishment for not acting according to the guidelines. So what was their incentive to stop? And, honestly, that’s the entire problem. I’ve noticed it, too. They’ve taken their “assume good faith” to absurd levels. The same person has to make tons of mistakes before they get in any real trouble. Part of it is that there are way too many admins, and they don’t want to give them that much power. But they need it, badly. It is true that you probably could have gotten resolution, but it would have involved finding an admin, and then proving to him that you were who you said you were. Otherwise, despite the flagrant rules violations that they **announced ahead of time** , they would have given them the assumption of good faith. It sucks, because I so wanted to like the place. Now I only fix their files, because the changes I make are pretty uncontroversial. BTW, I know from comments I’ve read that a lot of Wikipedians just don’t like experts. They think everyone should be equal, and that the only thing that counts is sources. There was a push a little while back to get experts to verify things, but the core of Wikipedia seemed to hate it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/69 "2012-08-02T19:46:33Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > Both of you are seem to be living in a perfect world. The truth is that 99% of the rest of the world don’t have time for this BS. On the other hand, I say that, if you don’t have time to even bother to try to follow the basic rules, then you have no right to complain. Now, if you tried to figure it out, but didn’t, that’s fine. But to just not do it because you don’t have time? That’s just your own fault. Because that means that, even if they did make it easy to figure out what you’re supposed to do, you still wouldn’t do it. And if you care so little, why contribute at all? ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134/70 "2012-08-02T22:39:36Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > On the other hand, I say that, if you don’t have time to even bother to try to follow the basic rules, then you have no right to complain. Now, if you tried to figure it out, but didn’t, that’s fine. But to just not do it because you don’t have time? That’s just your own fault. > > Because that means that, even if they did make it easy to figure out what you’re supposed to do, you still wouldn’t do it. And if you care so little, why contribute at all? Hey, some of us have a life away from the computer too, you know. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-wikipedia-more-reliable/628134.md?page=3)