On Sun, Aug 2, 2009 at 8:14 PM, Charles Matthewscharles.r.matthews@ntlworld.com wrote:
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How about the simpler comment that if you have expertise in an area of public interest, you should consider writing something freely licensed and putting it on the Web where someone can find it and help aggregate it? Those who compile WP tend to have more sophisticated search habits than putting a single keyword into Google and hoping for the best. (Someone please reassure me that this is true ...)
I'd agree with this. Publishing a reliable source and making it widely and freely accessible can be better that contributing to Wikipedia. Especially if you are the sort of expert that doesn't have the time and patience for Wikipedia. But equally we have an obligation to make sure that the trolls and POV pushers don't mess things up or distort what is being said in the article that is being supported by said reliable source.
As for searching. It depends what databases and resources you have access too. I frequently come up against paywalls. There are only so many times you can look around for a different source, or ask someone else (who has access) for a copy.
I have something else I want to say about lists and redlinks, but I'll do that in another thread.
Carcharoth