# No true Scotsman on Wiki **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 6, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021 "2011-11-06T02:33:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/21 "2011-11-06T19:38:31Z")
I would tend to think that any confusion over which wiki the OP was referring to would be mitigated by the fact that he included a damned link to the page in question. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/22 "2011-11-06T19:44:01Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I would tend to think that any confusion over which wiki the OP was referring to would be mitigated by the fact that he included a damned link to the page in question. To be fair, **kenetic** did mention that. Regardless of the plethora of wiki sites, I contend that _most_ people who use the Internet would not be confused if someone posted ‘Wiki sez…’ I think that ‘Wiki’ is the default for Wikipedia, and that the other wikis would be differentiated by a appropriate to it. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/23 "2011-11-06T20:42:04Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > Or, let’s say wikipedia is to cow’s milk as wiki is to milk. Sure there are lots of different kinds of milk, but when you just say milk, everyone knows what you mean, and milk of magnesia enthusiasts aren’t complaining. Wikipedia is the big wiki in town, and for any other wiki you’d use a descriptor anyway, so it’s not like there’s potential confusion. Funny you make that analogy - just this week on _The Office_, there was a scene where they are in Dwight’s home and someone asks for milk. Dwight, of course being Dwight, responds “Which animal?” The guy complaining here must be a Schrute. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/24 "2011-11-06T22:59:42Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If I said I drove a Taurus, most people would understand that I did not drive an astrological sign. > > As **engineer\_comp\_geek** says, you’re fighting a losing battle. Did you put something in the ‘microwave’? Or did you put it in the microwave _oven_? Kleenex, Hoover, Photoshop, etc. etc. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/25 "2011-11-06T23:25:33Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Kleenex, Hoover, Photoshop, etc. etc. Your examples are the exact opposite of what’s happening here. Hoover refers to one and only one specific vacuum cleaner, although some people use “Hoover” (the specific brand name) to mean any vacuum cleaner. Wikipedia refers to one and only one specific wiki, although some people think that wiki (the generic term) means only Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/26 "2011-11-07T01:44:09Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > From [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman) [emphasis mine]: > > Huh? 😕 > > Am I missing something? Or has a vandal altered this paragraph? FYI, you can always click on “[View history](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=No_true_Scotsman&action=history)” to see the last iterations of the page to see if it’s been vandalized. I’ll also add that the OP didn’t say “wiki”, he said “Wiki”. Despite it being a complete losing battle to fight, it’s also the wrong battlefield. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/27 "2011-11-07T02:49:50Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:25, topic:602021”] Wikipedia refers to one and only one specific wiki, although some people think that wiki (the generic term) means only Wikipedia. [/QUOTE] Some people think that, but I’m guessing they’re the non-internet savvy who will constantly be confused by shifting technological terms. Surely the people who conflated Wikilinks with Wikipedia had heard the word Wikipedia before. The fact that they remained confused doesn’t seem to me that it’s because people are saying wiki instead of Wikipedia. They seem more like the people who mix up CD and DVD because they both refer to plastic discs and have short acronyms with D in them. As **Johnny L.A.** pointed out, people are using “I Wiki’d that” just like “I Googled it,” and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Those in the know want a shortened form of saying it, and those out of the know won’t get it, even if you can somehow force people to say “I checked on Wikipedia” or “I Wikipedia’d it.” Which isn’t going to happen anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/28 "2011-11-07T14:53:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > To be fair, **kenetic** did mention that. Yes, I notice that now – but in my defense, that previous mention was just a few words out of so many he wrote. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/29 "2011-11-07T15:52:17Z")
In my office you have to be careful to specify Wiki_pedia_ as each team has their own wiki which they use for internal knowledge sharing. First thing someone assumes when they are told to check the wiki is their internal site, not Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![gurujulp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@gurujulp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gurujulp)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/30 "2011-11-07T18:42:07Z")
I use and am the moderator for a few wiki’s. When I am here I make sure to speak correctly- but in the real world, ‘Wiki’ always refers to wikipedia. Google linking to it at every possible opportunity has created the illusion, like ‘xerox’, that the brand is the thing… ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/31 "2011-11-07T20:01:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If I said I drove a Taurus, most people would understand that I did not drive an astrological sign. > > As **engineer\_comp\_geek** says, you’re fighting a losing battle. Did you put something in the ‘microwave’? Or did you put it in the microwave _oven_? A much more parallel analogy is as if you’d said “I put it in the paper.” _Which_ newspaper? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/32 "2011-11-07T20:49:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > From [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman) Do you suppose any of the nitpickers clicked on the link to resolve which Wiki was beng referred to? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/33 "2011-11-07T20:55:47Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Kleenex, Hoover, Photoshop, etc. etc. What does the former president have to do with any of this? Seriously, people are going to get really confused if you call him “Hoover” and not “President Hoover” or “Herbert Hoover.” There’s no way to tell from the context of your statement that you’re referring to the president, and not the dam. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/34 "2011-11-07T22:00:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Do you suppose any of the nitpickers clicked on the link to resolve which Wiki was beng referred to? Do you believe any of the nitpickers really didn’t know from context which wiki he was referring to? Maybe they couldn’t decide if he was referring to the “No True Scotsman” wiki or the “I’m gay” wiki. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/35 "2011-11-07T22:51:25Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:25, topic:602021”] Your examples are the exact opposite of what’s happening here. Hoover refers to one and only one specific vacuum cleaner, although some people use “Hoover” (the specific brand name) to mean any vacuum cleaner. Wikipedia refers to one and only one specific wiki, although some people think that wiki (the generic term) means only Wikipedia. [/QUOTE] Yes, but L.A. Johnny used it as a proper noun “Wiki,” rather than the common noun “wiki,” which to me, in addition to context, indicated he was using the word as a shortened form of “Wikipedia.” (ETA: I see **Munch** has already made this point, but I think it’s worth repeating.) ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/36 "2011-11-08T01:18:43Z")
“Dad, I need to go to the bathroom?” “Which bathroom?” ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/37 "2011-11-08T01:23:03Z")
Is there any wiki other than Wikipedia which ever gets referred to as “Wiki”, i.e., using that term as a proper name? Also, “The wiki article” will vary in reference according to context. The context determines which wiki is most relevant. Between most pairs of strangers on the street, the most relevant wiki is Wikipedia. Between a pair of engineers working in the same office, it may well be the company’s internal wiki. Between a doper and the straight dope on SDMB, if no particular wiki is named, then it’s Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/38 "2011-11-08T02:17:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Since the history page does not state what changes are made unless the author states the reason for the edit, there is no way (that I know of) to find a specific edit. There is an [Article Blamer](http://toolserver.org/~soxred93/blame/) tool for this purpose, though it’s usually overkill; you can almost always find vandalism by checking the last edit on the History tab which was made by an anonymous IP address. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/39 "2011-11-08T02:26:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, but L.A. Johnny used it as a proper noun “Wiki,” rather than the common noun “wiki,” which to me, in addition to context, indicated he was using the word as a shortened form of “Wikipedia.” > > (ETA: I see **Munch** has already made this point, but I think it’s worth repeating.) Yep, that’s what I was gonna say. Wiki as an uncapitalized noun is ambiguous; Wiki capitalized midsentence is unambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021/40 "2011-11-08T03:17:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sure, I can. Everybody knows what is meant. No, we know what you _seemed_ to mean. But we – or at least I – wasn’t sure. My first on reading the thread title was “Wait, is he talking about _Wikipedia_, or one of the many other wikis?” > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Yep, that’s what I was gonna say. Wiki as an uncapitalized noun is ambiguous; Wiki capitalized midsentence is unambiguous. The problem with that is that a lot of persons on the net capitalize somewhat randomly. Hell, you see it on Wikipedia all the time. It doesn’t hurt to be clear. Well, it doesn’t hurt _me_ to try to be clear, anyway. I can’t speak for the rest of you. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-true-scotsman-on-wiki/602021.md?page=3)