Myxomatosis. The Order of Canada. Noble gas. Catherine de' Medici. The History of Superman? Whether you're doing serious research on the Web or just settling an argument, it's easy to get caught up in Wikipedia's two million articles. And that's not such a bad thing. But how'd all the information get there in the first place? And how can you tell if it's reliable?

Or say you want to become a part of Wikipedia and make your own contributions. Where do you begin?

In How Wikipedia Works, you'll learn the skills required to use and contribute to the world's largest reference work-like what constitutes good writing and research and how to work with images and templates.

With insight, anecdotes, and tips from three Wikipedia veterans, you'll learn how to:

• Find information and evaluate the quality and reliability of articles

• Contribute to existing articles by copyediting, writing new material, and fact-checking

• Add new articles that conform to Wikipedia's guidelines and best practices-so that your hard work won't be deleted

• Communicate with other Wikipedians through Talk pages, discussion forums, direct messaging, and more

• Understand Wikipedia's policies and procedures and how they're created and enforced

• Resolve content disputes and deal with vandals and other malicious editors

Wikipedia is made up of people just like you: students, professors, and everyday experts and fans. With about 10,000 articles added to Wikipedia each week, there are plenty of opportunities to join this global community. How Wikipedia Works explains how you can make the Web's go-to source for information even better. Instead of wondering where to begin, the question will be "How far will you go?"

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 7 Ratings

Wikipedia in context - 2008-11-17
Reviewer Rating:
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 AkGÇíam, 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.

a much needed reference to the Mother of All Reference Works - 2008-10-04
Reviewer Rating:
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

Excellent Resource - 2008-12-12
Reviewer Rating:
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.

A top pick for general-interest libraries - 2009-03-15
Reviewer Rating:
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.

The essential reference for Wikipedia - 2009-01-19
Reviewer Rating:
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!!