On Mon, Dec 22, 2008 at 5:38 PM, David Gerard <dgerard(a)gmail.com> wrote:
[snip]
(A tangential note: I consider NPOV to be our most
important
innovation - much more radical than merely letting anyone edit your
encyclopedia. The concept of "neutrality" has existed in various
guises, but not like Wikipedia does it, with the consequences it has
as a source of information for the world.)
Full agreement.
My view on WP innovations:
(1) NPOV information resource.
(2) Website with a permanent historical record (we're not the first,
but the first popular).
(3) Large scale free-content useful reference.
(4) Website anyone can edit.
There are all sorts of interdependencies between these and other
differentiators— It's easy to argue that without (4) the rest wouldn't
be possible… but in terms of the lasting impact on society and our own
uniqueness I think those are ordered about right.