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How Wikipedia Works: And How You Can Be a Part of It

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This book might also be titled "Wikipedia in Context". It tells in detail what Wikipedia is and what it is not; it even has a history of encyclopedias and talks about how Wikipedia fits into this tradition. It goes into detail on the culture and motivations of the people who work on Wikipedia. It covers the mission of the project and speculates on the global impact it will have someday.

There is an especially valuable chapter on "Understanding and Evaluating an Article" with a lot of good tips. Traditional encyclopedias are written by authorities in the field, but Wikipedia is written by a wide variety of authors, some experts, some amateurs, some fanatics, and some vandals. The appeal to authority doesn't work for Wikipedia.

There are real-life case studies scattered through the book about the internal workings of Wikipedia and its interaction with the real world. The most startling and sobering is the story of Turkish scholar Taner Akçam, who was detained at Montreal's Trudeau Airport by Canadian officials who had read in Wikipedia an incorrect report that he was a terrorist.

I only have a couple of gripes about this book. The screen shots highlight the relevant parts by graying everything else, which I like, but the gray is so dark it's hard to see the screen clearly and tell where you are. The index is lengthy but it was hard to find things in it; it seems to index only the main discussion of each topic and not any other references to it.

Compared to John Broughton's Wikipedia: The Missing Manual, this book is much broader and shallower. The Missing Manual is aimed at people who want to edit (add material and articles to) Wikipedia, and goes into great detail on both the mechanics of changing Wikipedia and the policies and customs that govern these changes. The present book has much useful material on these subjects, but it has just enough to get you started editing (roughly the middle third of the book deals with this). I have found both books extremely valuable, but they are aimed at different audiences and don't compete directly with each other. If you have a casual interest in Wikipedia, or are just getting started as an editor, "How Wikipedia Works" is the book for you. Beginning editors can also benefit from "Wikipedia: The Missing Manual" but may find the level of detail overwhelming; it is better for experienced editors.

I was skeptical when Wikipedia first launched. I was convinced it could never rival the Encyclopedia Britannica, to pick a not-so-random candidate for comparison. But over the ensuing years, I've been increasingly impressed at what this effort has produced. The coverage is truly amazing, and the depth of many articles is nothing short of astounding. Caveat lector still applies, of course -- but it applies to *any* book or reference you might purchase here on Amazon.

I have edited a handful of Wikipedia entries, but always with some trepidation, a little voice in my head going, "You're not doing it right!" All the rules and templates and syntax and unique cultural guidelines are all included in Wikipedia itself, but it can be a daunting task finding what you need at any given moment. I remember having many browser windows open into multiple Wikipedia pages -- all so I could make sure I *was* doing it right. I often wished I had an offline reference I could flip through to find what I needed without leaving the page I was editing.

And now I do. This is a very fine book indeed, extremely thorough on every topic I can imagine needing to know more about. Highly recommended.

~ Chris Locke, co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual

The publication date of this book was delayed for some months but on arrival it proves well worth the wait in terms of both content and design.

The authors adopt precisely the tone of authority required without being too simplistic - the book is thoroughly crafted and sincere but always engaging and never overbearing. The layout is minimalist and attractive, while incorporated within the text are subtle primers for those getting to grips with Wikipedia's mark-up conventions.

The book is not in any way a hasty Wiki-mania cash in and covers with fairness and neutrality the controversies which have been associated with Wikipedia. It is obvious that the authors genuinely believe in the Wikipedia project and have extensive experience as both editors and readers. It is superior to John Broughton's Wikipedia: The Missing Manual in both its depth and its clarity.

Sections on licensing and copyright are crisp and useful while introductory matter on Wikipedia's heritage (from printed encyclopaedias to Open Source communities) and its underlying philosophy will ensure that readers understand what Wikipedia is really all about.

The book includes a useful Glossary, Appendices (such as Edit Summaries Jargon), a comprehensive Index and even a guide for teachers on how they might use Wikipedia in the class-room.

For fans of the old-fashioned printed book, the real boon of 'How Wikipedia Works' is the satisfaction that comes from sitting it firmly on your desk as you begin to boldly edit your first Wikipedia article!

I have been waiting for an excellent primer on *using* Wikipedia for many years. As a vocal fan of Wikipedia, I am used to my friends and relatives asking me questions about the site (this was more common when it was still unusual to use it as a daily reference). Now I have a book to send them!

How Wikipedia Works covers the most important parts of Wikipedia : the culture and process of contribution. It describes helpful tools and extensions for searching and using the site, and quickly evaluating articles. It helps you set up your own user account, get feedback from article authors, and contribute knowledge to topics you care about.
The authors balance simple language with comprehensive coverage, providing the best bibliography I've seen of links to further information on Wikipedia itself.

Best of all, it maintains a steady sense of humor about the encyclopedia, its editors, and the project's unusual history.

From learning how to use Wikipedia to contributing to existing articles by fact-checking and adding new articles that confirm to Wikipedia's guidelines, HOW WIKIPEDIA WORKS is a top pick for general-interest libraries and for any who would become part of Wikipedia and make contributions to the system. From understanding its policies to resolving content disputes and handling malicious editors, HOW WIKIPEDIA WORKS is packed with insights.

This is THE definitive guide to Wikipedia. Like many I was skeptical of the long-term viability of this project. After all encyclopedia's have been around for decades. However, as our society's population is being replaced by digital natives, the concept of gathering resources online is an accepted practice. This book is very open and honest about Wikipedia and it's past.
The book is laid out extremely well and is well-suited to either starting from the beginning or just jumping head first into any chapter. I was very impressed with the attention to detail that was given to the topic of content contribution. While I have dabbled in content submission, the process always seemed a bit "fuzzy" to me. After reading this book, the process became quite clear and in fact eliminated most of the questions I had concerning the process.
I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in learning about the Wikipedia project as well as anyone that is looking to contribute content to this project.

How Wikipedia Works: And How You Can Be a Part of It
Review by Richard L. Weaver II, PhD.

The back cover of this 507-page book says that by reading the book, you will learn to: 1) Find information and evaluate the quality and reliability of articles, 2) Contribute to existing articles by copyediting, writing new material, and fact-checking, 3) Add new articles that conform to Wikipedia's guidelines and best practices-so that your hard work won't be deleted, 4) Communicate with other Wikipedians through Talk pages, discussion forums, direct messaging, and more, 5) Understand Wikipedia's policies and procedures and how they're created and enforced, 6) Resolve content disputes and deal with vandals and other malicious editors. The authors do not disappoint. It is all there in an easy-to-read (sometimes technical, although the authors warn you in advance of those sections), well-written, and detailed analysis. As a constant and active user of Wikipedia, (as a researcher, to answer specific questions that come up in conversations, and out of curiosity alone), I was thoroughly impressed and informed. This book could as easily have been called Wikipedia for Dummies. As an active writer, one chapter I found interesting was Chapter 6: Good Writing and Research. If you are an aspiring writer, you are currently involved in writing projects, or you have been a writer in the past and want to begin again, the advice, direction, and encouragement the authors provide in this 37-pages is spot-on -- priceless, accurate, and well presented. Yes, this is a big book, and it offers you far more than you will ever need or use (It reminds me of the cliche, "everything you ever wanted to know about Wikipedia and more...."), but with all its examples, illustrations, explanations, informative inserts, suggested further readings (on the Internet with specific URLs), and chapter summaries, this is a wonderful, complete, and accurate reference book that you will want as a permanent part of your at-home library.

This book has been a delight to read. It should be essential reading for all aspiring editors of Wikipedia. I know as a neophyte editor myself, it is hard to get a grasp on the Wikipedia culture. This book puts it all together in one place. You don't have to go to 20 different pages on how to write an article, it's all right here. The authors are also very well educated both about Wikipedia and in general. Well worth the money!!