Sem assunto

y
would be so much greater on the English Wikipedia since the content of the
article is so unique and would have an important impact in diversifying the
range of material on the English Wikipedia. In this sense, even if the cost=
s
of contributing to English Wikipedia are higher, and even if it is much mor=
e
difficult to have an effect on the environment, the resulting efficacy is
large because it is a unique contribution.

*Need*

According to Kollock, the fourth motivation is altruistic in the sense that
individuals value the outcomes of others. =E2=80=98One may produce and cont=
ribute a
public good for the simple reason that a person or the group as a whole has
a need for it,=E2=80=99 he says. Here, there may be a stark difference betw=
een the
need for Swahili language content on Wikipedia as perceived by the
international community and the need within Kenya.

Kenya=E2=80=99s official languages are Swahili and English, with most Kenya=
ns being
trilingual, speaking their tribal language as well as Swahili and English.
English is the lingua franca of the global business community and arguably
that of the Internet.

Despite 50 million speakers, the Swahili Wikipedia has only about 17,000
articles and 400,000 editors, and Swahili is considered more of a spoken
language than a written language. Thus, Kenyans may not regard the need to
develop a Swahili encyclopaedia as high when they are trying to improve
their English in order to become more established in global business.

*Conclusion*

Unhindered by long print publication schedules, Wikipedia is able to reflec=
t
events and incidents as soon as they happen, rather than recording only
those that a smaller group of experts decide is important enough. As
broadband access grows in large parts of Africa and Asia, Wikipedia could
expand to include a massive new corpus of previously unrecognized
viewpoints.

Recent studies have shown how power within Wikipedia is consolidating and
that attempts to broaden the scope of the encyclopaedia are often met with
aggressive deletionism. Wikipedia is said to be =E2=80=98revolutionary=E2=
=80=99 because it
is written by =E2=80=98ordinary people=E2=80=99 rather than =E2=80=98expert=
s=E2=80=99, but whether experts
or ordinary people, Wikipedia still reflects the perspective of a small,
homogenous, geographically close community.

Although the costs of contributing to smaller Wikipedias are arguably lower=
,
people in developing countries like Kenya see the English Wikipedia as the
relevant venue for articles that show Kenya=E2=80=99s unique contribution t=
o global
phenomena. The motivations for contributing in English Wikipedia are
therefore much greater than contributing to the Swahili version, but it is
unlikely that the vast holes in geographical and cultural content will be
filled when the costs of contribution are so large.

My conclusion is that, far from having nothing left to talk about, Wikipedi=
a
has a number of holes, but that the homophily of the current network is
coming up against its need to expand and diversify. Without a strategy for
dealing with local notability, Wikipedia will continue to battle to overcom=
e
its impediments to growth and will ultimately fail to realise more diverse,
global participation.

*Bibliography*

Angwin, J., & Fowler, G. A. (2009, November 27). Volunteers Log Off as
Wikipedia Ages =E2=80=93 WSJ.com. *WSJ.com*. Retrieved from
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125893981183759969.html

Butler, B., Joyce, E., & Pike, J. (2008). Don=E2=80=99t look now, but we=E2=
=80=99ve created
a bureaucracy. In *Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual CHI conference on
Human factors in computing systems  =E2=80=93 CHI =E2=80=9908* (p. 1101). P=
resented at the
Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual CHI conference, Florence, Italy.
doi:10.1145/1357054.1357227

Constant, D., Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. (1994). What=E2=80=99s Mine Is Our=
s, or Is
It? A Study of Attitudes about Information Sharing. *Information Systems
Research*, *5*(4), 400-421. doi:10.1287/isre.5.4.400

Ethnologue report for language code: swh. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 10, 2010,
from http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=3Dswh

Goldman, E. (2005, December 5). Technology & Marketing Law Blog: Wikipedia
Will Fail Within 5 Years. *Wikipedia Will Fail Within 5 Years*. Retrieved
May 10, 2010, from
http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2005/12/wikipedia_will.htm

Graham, M. (2009, December 2). Wikipedia=E2=80=99s known unknowns. Retrieve=
d from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/dec/02/wikipedia-known-unknowns-g=
eotagging-knowledge

Graham, M. (2010, April 9). Mapping Wikipedia Biographies. *
floatingsheep.org*. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from
http://www.floatingsheep.org/2010/04/mapping-wikipedia-biographies.html

Johnson, B. (2009, August 12). Wikipedia enters a new chapter. *The Guardia=
n
*. Retrieved from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/12/wikipedia-deletionist-incl=
usionist

Kemibaro, M. (2010, March 23). Is Makmende Kenya=E2=80=99s first =E2=80=9Cv=
iral=E2=80=9D Internet
sensation? Retrieved May 10, 2010, from
http://www.moseskemibaro.com/2010/03/23/is-makmende-kenyas-first-viral-inte=
rnet-sensation/

Kiswahili Wikipedia Challenge, sponsored by Google. (n.d.). . Retrieved fro=
m
http://www.google.com/events/kiswahili-wiki/

Kollock, P. (1999). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public
Goods in Cyberspace. In *Communities in Cyberspace* (pp. 239, 220).
Routledge. Retrieved from
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

Modelling Wikipedia=E2=80=99s growth. (n.d.). . Wikipedia page, . Retrieved=
 May 9,
2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Modelling_Wikipedia%27s_growth

Nosowitz, D. (2010, March 24). Kenya=E2=80=99s First Viral Music Video: An
Auto-Tuned, Blaxploitation-Themed Epic. *fastcompany.com*. Retrieved May 8,
2010, from
http://www.fastcompany.com/1596460/kenyas-first-viral-music-video-an-autotu=
ned-blaxploitation-epic
?

Rask, M. (2007). The Richness and Reach of Wikinomics: Is the Free Web-Base=
d
Encyclopedia Wikipedia Only for the Rich Countries? by Morten Rask.
Presented at the Joint Conference of The International Scoiety of Marketing
Development and the Macromarketing Society. Retrieved from
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3D996158

Suh, B., Convertino, G., Chi, E. H., & Pirolli, P. (2009). The singularity
is not near. In *Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Wikis an=
d
Open Collaboration =E2=80=93 WikiSym =E2=80=9909* (p. 1). Presented at the =
the 5th
International Symposium, Orlando, Florida. doi:10.1145/1641309.1641322

Tapscott, D. (2006). *Wikinomics : how mass collaboration changes everythin=
g
*. New York: Portfolio.

The Economist. (2008, March 6). The battle for Wikipedia=E2=80=99s soul. *T=
he
Economist*.

Torquemada, D. (2006, August 3). Model of English Wikipeda: Predictions
until December 31, 2008. Model, . Retrieved May 9, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikigrow.png

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (n.d.). Human Development
Reports (HDR). Retrieved May 10, 2010, from
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/

Vinograd, C. (2010, March 24). Kenya Launches Country=E2=80=99s First Viral=
 Music
Video =E2=80=93 Digits =E2=80=93 WSJ. *Wall Street Journal Blogs*. Retrieve=
d May 10, 2010,
from
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/03/24/kenya-launches-country%E2%80%99s-fir=
st-viral-music-video/?mod=3Drss_WSJBlog&mod=3D

Wikimedia Foundation. (2009, November 26). Wikipedia=E2=80=99s Volunteer
Story. *Wikimedia
Blog*. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from
http://blog.wikimedia.org/2009/11/26/wikipedias-volunteer-story/

Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Makmende Wikipedia Page. In *Wikipedia*.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makmende

Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Systemic bias on Wikipedia. Retrieved May 10,
2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:BIAS

Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Wikimedia projects =E2=80=93 Meta. Retrieved May=
 10,
2010, from http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_projects

Wikipedia Criteria for speedy deletion. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 8, 2010,
from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Criteria_for_speedy_deletion/Overtur=
ned_speedy_deletions

Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Makmende =E2=80=93 Wikipedia, the free ency=
clopedia.
(n.d.). . Retrieved May 8, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Makmende

Zachte, E. (n.d.). Wikipedia Statistics. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from
http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/Sitemap.htm

Zuckerman, E. (2010, March 24). Makmende=E2=80=99s so huge, he can=E2=80=99=
t fit in
Wikipedia. *My heart=E2=80=99s in Accra*. Retrieved May 8, 2010, from
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2010/03/24/makmendes-so-huge-he-cant-fit=
-in-wikipedia/
 ------------------------------

[2] <http://hblog.org/writing/the-missing-wikipedians/#_ftnref2> This was
the headline of a blog post by Ethan Zuckerman
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2010/03/24/makmendes-so-huge-he-cant-fit=
-in-wikipedia/

--=20
"Discordo daquilo que dizes, mas defenderei at=C3=A9 a morte o teu direito =
de o
dizeres". - Voltaire

--bcaec53f901f8ebdfd049c990008
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<font size=3D"2"><font face=3D"arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><a href=3D"http:=
//hblog.org/writing/the-missing-wikipedians/">The Missing Wikipedians</a><b=
r><br></font></font><div id=3D"primary">


	<div class=3D"entry static">
		<div class=3D"post-meta">
			<h1 class=3D"post-title" id=3D"post-626"><font size=3D"4">The Missing=C2=
=A0Wikipedians</font></h1>
		</div>
		<div class=3D"post-content">
			<p style=3D"text-align: right;"><a href=3D"http://makebuildplay.files.wo=
rdpress.com/2011/02/makmende_essay.pdf">Download PDF </a>or view on <a href=
=3D"http://www.slideshare.net/hfordsa/the-missing-wikipedians">Slideshare</=
a></p>


<p>Much has been said of the future of Wikipedia. Some have prophesied=20
that the online encyclopaedia will fail due to increasing spam. Others=20
have said that, as large parts of the world go online, Wikipedia might=20
see a wave of new editors as countries from Zambia to Indonesia begin to
 fill in Wikipedia=E2=80=99s blank spots. In a project that aims to =E2=80=
=98make all=20
human knowledge accessible=E2=80=99, those blank spots can mean many things=
: the
 hundreds of thousands of places that aren=E2=80=99t talked about on Wikipe=
dia,=20
the thousands of languages that either don=E2=80=99t have their own=20
encyclopaedia or are struggling to build one, and the countless things=20
that people know about their world but aren=E2=80=99t in written form.</p>
<p>This essay is concerned, not so much with the future of the English=20
version of Wikipedia (about which much of the prophesying occurs) but=20
with the 277 other language Wikipedias. Will this number shrink as=20
editors grow tired of their lonely pursuits, or will it grow as more of=20
the world goes online? As large parts of Africa go online, it is=20
expected that they will start to edit Wikipedia and that they will edit=20
it in their own language. Both of these assumptions may be incorrect.=20
Firstly, there are a number of external and internal limitations to this
 new wave of editors joining Wikipedia, and secondly, the scale of=20
smaller Wikipedias may mean that they are over-shadowed by stronger=20
motivations to edit the larger, more powerful English version.</p>
<p><strong>=E2=80=98Makmende=E2=80=99s so huge, he can=E2=80=99t fit in Wik=
ipedia<a href=3D"http://hblog.org/writing/the-missing-wikipedians/#_ftn2">[=
2]</a>=E2=80=99 </strong></p>
<p>In mid-2010, a furore erupted in a small corner of the Internet. The=20
facts sounded all-too familiar: another group of Wikipedia editors=20
fighting over whether something was notable or not. The so-called=20
=E2=80=98deletionists=E2=80=99 against the =E2=80=98inclusionists=E2=80=99 =
=E2=80=93 those who thought that the=20
encyclopaedia needed to retain a certain quality and that strict=20
editorial control was necessary, versus those who thought that=20
Wikipedia=E2=80=99s goal is to be a different encyclopaedia =E2=80=93 one t=
hat is much=20
broader and more global than any other existing encyclopaedia.</p>
<p>But a closer look at this blip on Wikipedia=E2=80=99s radar exposed some=
=20
interesting details =E2=80=93 details that exposed this as a story that=20
epitomises Wikipedia=E2=80=99s current growth problems and the challenges i=
t=20
faces as it seeks to =E2=80=98make all human knowledge accessible=E2=80=99.=
 The=20
frontline of this battle: a page called =E2=80=98Makmende=E2=80=99 that was=
 struggling=20
to be born on the English encyclopaedia.</p>
<p>In March of 2010, Kenya had enjoyed what has been touted as its first
 viral Internet sensation. While even Eastern Europe has had its share=20
of singing kittens and political remixes, this East African country had=20
not enjoyed the success that comes when the world recognises a local=20
meme that captures the imagination of those outside of it. The meme was=20
based on an interesting local hack of Hollywood culture that originated=20
on the streets of Kenya in the 1990s.</p>
<p>The Swahili slang (sheng) word for =E2=80=98hero=E2=80=99, =E2=80=98Makm=
ende=E2=80=99 originates from
 a mispronunciation of Clint Eastwood=E2=80=99s phrase =E2=80=9CGo ahead, m=
ake my day=E2=80=9D=20
(Mek ma nday) =E2=80=93 a phrase that became popular in the streets of Keny=
a in=20
the 1990s when a =E2=80=98bad guy wannabe would be called out and asked =E2=
=80=9CWho do=20
you think you are? Makmende?=E2=80=9D=E2=80=99 In early 2010, local band, =
=E2=80=98Just a Band=E2=80=99=20
resurrected the fictional Kenyan superhero in the music video for their=20
song <em>Ha-He</em>. In the music video for their song, the band=20
features Makmende beating up the =E2=80=98bad guys=E2=80=99 and even ignori=
ng the girl=20
in a hilarious throwback to the fictional character.</p>
<p>What followed was a popular acknowledgement of Makmende that=20
resonated outwards from local Twitter users. Like other successful=20
memes, Makmende enabled people to participate in the joke and to thereby
 =E2=80=9Cown=E2=80=9D a little piece of the meme. According to local digit=
al marketing=20
strategist, Mark Kaigwa, people either took popular Chuck Norris jokes=20
and replaced them with Makmende, or they created their own. Radio=20
stations in Nairobi invited people to call in with Makmende jokes when=20
local journalists like Larry Madowo noticed the attention that Makmende=20
was getting on Twitter, and the Kenyan twittasphere seemed to be buzzing
 with their own Chuck Norris.</p>
<p>In the midst of enthusiasm, Makmende fans tried to create a Wikipedia
 page about the meme. Wikipedia admins repeatedly deleted the page,=20
initially on =E2=80=98criteria for speedy deletion=E2=80=99 G1 (=E2=80=98Pa=
tent nonsense,=20
meaningless, or incomprehensible=E2=80=99), then G12 (=E2=80=98Unambiguous =
copyright=20
infringement)=E2=80=99 and finally G3 (=E2=80=98Pure Vandalism=E2=80=99).</=
p>
<p>Wikipedia editors claimed that the article needed to be deleted=20
because there existed =E2=80=98no reliable sources, and no claims of=20
notability=E2=80=99. Pointing to the lack of sources relating to African cu=
lture
 online, user, Cicinne came back with this retort: =E2=80=98The problem is =
that=20
there is hardly any content on African influences in the 90=E2=80=B2s and 8=
0=E2=80=B2s=20
which may make it hard to make the connections=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>On March 24, the Wall Street Journal=E2=80=99s Cassandra Vinograd commen=
ted=20
on the story, reporting that =E2=80=98Kenyan bloggers and Tweeters (had) se=
ized=20
on the video and launched a campaign for the man they=E2=80=99re calling Ke=
nya=E2=80=99s
 very own Chuck Norris =E2=80=93 complete with one liners about Makmende=E2=
=80=99s=20
superhero skills and prowess.=E2=80=99 According to the WSJ, Makmende had d=
rawn=20
more than 24,300 hits in the week since its release and had collected=20
19,200 fans on Facebook.</p>
<p>The article was deleted once again, prompting Ethan Zuckerman to=20
write a blog post about the systemic bias operating in the encyclopaedia
 community that would delete the stub:</p>
<blockquote><p>The one that=E2=80=99s currently under development followed =
a=20
classic Wikipedia structure =E2=80=93 it went up as a brief stub, and has=
=20
accreted more content in the past few hours. What concerned me is that=20
the attempt to delete that stub argued that the article was unsourced =E2=
=80=93=20
actually, it was quite well sourced, including a reference to a Wall=20
Street Journal online publication and five weblogs. Perhaps the user who
 nominated for deletion made a mistake. Or perhaps he acted in bad=20
faith, trying to avoid a battle over notability and tried a different=20
tactic to see the page removed.<br>
If Wikipedia wants to make progress in improving areas where it=E2=80=99s w=
eak =E2=80=93
 i.e., if it wants to address issues of systemic bias =E2=80=93 the communi=
ty=20
needs to expand to include more Wikipedians from the developing world.=20
Deleting three versions of an article important to Kenyans and trying to
 delete a fourth doesn=E2=80=99t send a strong message that Wikipedia is th=
e=20
open and welcoming community you and I both want it to be.</p></blockquote>
<p>After being covered on CNN, Fast Company and numerous location Kenyan
 publications (most of which are not online), the article was eventually
 voted =E2=80=98keep=E2=80=99 citing the WSJ post as proof of notability re=
quired to=20
survive and move past the deletion debates. The question then became: if
 something needs to be =E2=80=98notable=E2=80=99 to get on Wikipedia, by wh=
ose standards
 are we judging notability? Is it about numbers, about reputation? Can=20
this be measured? And would this have been such a debate if it had=20
occurred elsewhere in the world?</p>
<p>This story epitomises the challenges facing Wikipedia as it comes up=20
against the scope of a traditional encyclopaedia. Ethan Zuckerman summed
 it up as follows:</p>
<blockquote><p>Most Wikipedians seemed to accept the idea that different
 languages and cultures might want to include different topics in their=20
encyclopedias. But what happens when we share a language but not a=20
culture? Is there a point where Makmende is sufficiently important to=20
English-speaking Kenyans that he merits a Wikipedia page even if most=20
English-speakers couldn=E2=80=99t care less? Or is there an implicit assump=
tion=20
that an English-language Wikipedia is designed to enshrine landmarks of=20
shared historical and cultural importance to people who share a=20
language? <em> </em></p></blockquote>
<p>Interestingly, Makmende does not exist in the Swahili version of=20
Wikipedia, and the battle to put Makmende on Wikipedia came just two=20
months after Kenyans were being incentivized by Google to create Swahili
 Wikipedia pages. There seems to be a disconnect between where ordinary=20
Kenyans want their cultural narratives to live, and where outsiders=20
imagine it.</p>
<p>This story doesn=E2=80=99t only represent a clash between the inclusioni=
sts=20
and deletionists in Wikipedia. It also reflects key issues about the=20
relationship between different Wikipedias in countries where English=20
dominates as the written language; about the motivations of Wikipedians=20
on the edges of the Wikipedia network; and about tensions between=20
existing policies, the goal of the encyclopaedia and the realities of=20
historical knowledge in the developing world.</p>
<p><strong>Background: Wikipedia growth is slowing </strong></p>
<p>In August of 2006, Diego Torquemada drew a statistical model that=20
predicted the future growth of English Wikipedia to reach 6 million=20
articles by the end of 2008. This model was based on the premise that=20
more content leads to more traffic which leads to more edits which=20
generates more content on the encyclopaedia. Wikipedia had enjoyed=20
exponential growth until that point, with the number of articles=20
doubling annually from 2002 to 2006.</p>
<p>Torquemada could not know that Wikipedia growth had reached its peak=20
in 2006 when he developed his model. At a rate of 60,000 articles per=20
month in mid-2006, the number of new articles would start to follow a=20
downward trend reaching the point of around 35,000 new articles per=20
month by the end of 2009. The number of edits similarly reached a peak=20
in 2007 with 6 million edits and active editors at 800,000. At the end=20
of 2009, the number of edits had levelled out to about 5.5 million and=20
active editors were down to around 700,000.</p>
<p>The slowing growth of Wikipedia has been the subject of a number of=20
news articles, as Internet commentators predict the slow demise of=20
Wikipedia, and Wikipedians fight back, saying that they are merely=20
=E2=80=9Cconsolidating=E2=80=9D.</p>
<p>In trying to understand the slowing growth of Wikipedia, researchers=20
at Palo Alto Research Center took a closer look at the data and=20
interpreted an ecological model to explain the slowing growth. Suh,=20
Convertino, Chi and Pirolli likened the stagnation to a Darwinian=20
=E2=80=98struggle for existence=E2=80=99 in the encyclopaedia, noting that =
=E2=80=98as=20
populations hit the limits of the ecology, advantages go to members of=20
the population that have competitive dominance over others=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Suh et al argued that the =E2=80=98resource limitations=E2=80=99 can be =
likened to=20
limited opportunities to make novel contributions and that the=20
consequences of these increasing limitations will manifest itself in=20
increased patterns of conflict and dominance. Wikipedians, it seemed,=20
had covered all the =E2=80=9Ceasy=E2=80=9D articles and now had =E2=80=9Cno=
thing left to talk=20
about=E2=80=9D.</p>
<p><strong>Nothing left to talk about? </strong></p>
<p>Is Wikipedia really =E2=80=98running out of things to talk about=E2=80=
=99? Suh et al=20
suggested that the number of Wikipedia articles could increase due to=20
the growth of new knowledge as a result of new scientific studies and=20
new events but that the size of the encyclopaedia was still levelling=20
out.</p>
<p>Others like geographer, Mark Graham deride claims that Wikipedia is=20
=E2=80=98running out things to write about=E2=80=99 for other reasons. Mapp=
ing the=20
presence of geotags on Wikipedia, Graham found that there are still=20
=E2=80=98whole continents that remain a virtual =E2=80=9Cterra incognita=E2=
=80=9D=E2=80=99 on Wikipedia=20
and that if these places were given the same detailed treatment as=20
places in Western Europe and North America, then Wikipedia is only just=20
getting started.</p>
<p><strong>New Wikipedians as the developing world comes online?</strong></=
p>
<p>Graham suggests that, =E2=80=98It may be that when broadband reaches mor=
e=20
parts of Africa =E2=80=93 helped by the landfall of superfast cables in Aug=
ust =E2=80=93
 that=C2=A0more people there will start discovering Wikipedia, and that the=
=20
site will see a second explosion of new editors and articles about=20
places that have so far been ignored=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>But it is doubtful whether Internet access alone will make people in=20
developing countries contribute to Wikipedia. In his study of twelve=20
different Wikipedia language versions, Morten Rask found that although=20
=E2=80=98there is a linear relation between the level of internet penetrati=
on=20
and reach of the Wikipedia network, there is a stronger linear=20
relationship between the level of human development and internet=20
penetration=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Rask used the United Nations Development Programme=E2=80=99s Human=20
Development Index in his study as a comparative measure of life=20
expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries=20
worldwide. He was interested in finding out whether Wikipedia was only=20
for =E2=80=98rich countries=E2=80=99 in order to understand =E2=80=98who is=
 open to work=20
together in the sharing of knowledge=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Rask=E2=80=99s findings contradict the so-called =E2=80=98techno utopian=
s=E2=80=99 who have=20
claimed that the mere existence of either the Internet or information=20
and communications technology have the ability to lift developing=20
countries out of poverty.=C2=A0 Techno utopians include commentators like D=
on
 Tapscott who coined the phrase <em>wikinomics</em> to describe =E2=80=98de=
ep=20
changes in the structure and modus operandi of the corporation and our=20
economy, based on new competitive principles such as openness, peering,=20
sharing, and acting globally=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Tapscott believes that we are living through a =E2=80=98participation=20
revolution (that) opens up new possibilities for billions of people to=20
play active roles in their workplaces, communities, national=20
democracies, and the global economy at large. This has profound social=20
benefits, including the opportunity to make governments more accountable
 and lift millions of people out of poverty=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Access to Wikipedia=E2=80=99s =E2=80=98revolutionary=E2=80=99 potential =
is an extension of=20
this techno utopian vision. Investigating the =E2=80=98reach and richness=
=E2=80=99 of=20
Wikipedia, Rask provides a solid critique of statements like Tapscott=E2=80=
=99s=20
that =E2=80=98all one needs is a computer, a network connection, and a brig=
ht=20
spark of initiative and creativity to join in the economy=E2=80=99 by showi=
ng=20
that =E2=80=98Internet penetration is not the only complete and sufficient=
=20
variable=E2=80=99 for development. Analysing data from twelve Wikipedia lan=
guage
 versions, and mapping it to variables such as the country=E2=80=99s Human=
=20
Development Index and broadband penetration, Rask was able to show that=20
human development variables were much more critical to participation in=20
Wikipedia than broadband access.</p>
<p><strong>Internal limitations</strong></p>
<p>Apart from the external limitations of human development and=20
broadband penetration, Wikipedians on the edges of the network also face
 a number of internal challenges that reflect a growing resistance=20
within Wikipedia to new content. As those from developing countries come
 online and try to edit the encyclopedia, a number of conflicts have=20
arisen due to tensions between so-called =E2=80=98inclusionists=E2=80=99 an=
d=20
=E2=80=98deletionists=E2=80=99 in the encyclopaedia.</p>
<p>=E2=80=98Inclusionists=E2=80=99 are Wikipedians who would rather see mor=
e articles =E2=80=93=20
even if they are short and/or poorly written, while =E2=80=98deletionists=
=E2=80=99 are=20
concerned with quality, believing that it is more important to have=20
less, good quality articles than more poorly written articles with=20
questionable notability.</p>
<p>In an article entitled, =E2=80=98The battle for Wikipedia=E2=80=99s soul=
=E2=80=99, The=20
Economist writes: =E2=80=98The behaviour of Wikipedia=E2=80=99s self-appoin=
ted=20
deletionist guardians, who excise anything that does not meet their=20
standards, justifying their actions with a blizzard of acronyms, is now=20
known as =E2=80=9Cwiki-lawyering=E2=80=9D=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>The Palo Alto Research Center group suggested that the =E2=80=98deletion=
ists=20
might have won=E2=80=99 when they found that the number of reverted edits h=
as=20
increased steadily, and that occasional editors experience a visibly=20
greater resistance compared to high-frequency editors.</p>
<p>According to Suh et al., =E2=80=98Since 2003, edits from occasional edit=
ors=20
have been reverted (at) a higher rate than edits from prolific editors.=20
Furthermore, this disparity of treatment of new edits from editors of=20
different classes has been widening steadily over the years at the=20
expense of low-frequency editors. We consider this as evidence of=20
growing resistance from the Wikipedia community to new content,=20
especially when the edits come from occasional editors=E2=80=99.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong>Public goods and the costs of contribution</strong></p>
<p>If Wikipedia is available in Swahili, and the effort required to=20
start a Swahili page is lower than on the English version, why was the=20
Kenyan community so determined that the Makmende article exist on the=20
English version of Wikipedia?</p>
<p>Clues to the answer can be found in debates about public goods.=20
Wikipedia can be considered to be a public good since it is=20
non-rivalrous (one person=E2=80=99s use of Wikipedia doesn=E2=80=99t deplet=
e another=20
person=E2=80=99s use of it) and non-excludable (no one can be effectively=
=20
excluded from using Wikipedia, if they=E2=80=99re online at least). Peter=
=20
Kollock, writing in the late 90s about public goods and how their value=20
shifts when it is placed online, declared that all online community=20
interaction creates public goods and that this is a remarkable property=20
of online interaction and unprecedented in the history of human society.</p=
>
<p>Unprecedented as it is, people still need to be motivated to=20
contribute to public goods. The question with regard to the Makmende=20
case is: If people will create public goods when motivations are higher=20
than costs of contributing, what are the relative costs for contributing
 to English vs Swahili Wikipedia?</p>
<p>It is clear from the Makmende example that Wikipedia newbies must=20
navigate a growing bureaucracy and complicated policies when dealing=20
with English Wikipedians, many of whom would rather not have to deal=20
with any more articles to improve. This creates a high barrier to entry=20
that must be offset by higher motivational factors in order to=20
incentivise volunteer activity.</p>
<p>If the costs of contribution in terms of centralised control,=20
bureaucracy and the lack of =E2=80=98reliable=E2=80=99 sources are higher i=
n the English
 Wikipedia, then motivations for contributing must have been=20
significantly higher for Kenyans when contributing Makmende to the=20
English version.</p>
<p>In his paper on =E2=80=98The Economies of Online Cooperation=E2=80=99 Ko=
llock notes=20
four motivations for providing public goods including anticipated=20
reciprocity, reputation, sense of efficacy and need.</p>
<p><strong>Reciprocity</strong></p>
<p>According to Kollock, =E2=80=98a person is motivated to contribute valua=
ble=20
information to the group in the expectation that one will receive useful
 help and information in return that is, the motivation is an=20
anticipated reciprocity=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>The promise of reciprocity on the English Wikipedia is relatively=20
high based on the scale of contribution. Even though contributors=20
account for less than 1% of users, the scale of the encyclopaedia means=20
that the numbers of active contributors is about 40,000 active editors=20
for 26 per million speakers versus Swahili Wikipedia with 0.4 editors=20
per million speakers (about 20 active editors). According to Phares=20
Kariuki, he created the Makmende page because there are few=20
opportunities to create a Wikipedia entry that would be populated=20
quickly. Kariuki said that he isn=E2=80=99t a regular Wikipedia contributor=
 and=20
that the last time he contributed was many years ago. He points to the=20
small numbers who care enough to promote the page as a problem. =E2=80=9CIf=
 I=20
started a page on my high school it would take six years to build up.=E2=80=
=9D=20
Kariuki had tried to edit before but didn=E2=80=99t have much success. =E2=
=80=9CI am a=20
heavy user like most of us here in Nairobi but there=E2=80=99s never really=
 been
 motivation to become an editor before,=E2=80=9D he said.</p>
<p>Wikipedians on the English Wikipedia are relatively assured that=20
others will continue to contribute, whereas contributors to smaller=20
Wikipedias must understand that numbers of editors are few and that=20
Wikipedia may shut down Wikipedias where growth has stagnated and where=20
they have become overrun by spam.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Eric Goldman=E2=80=99s claim that =E2=80=98Wikipedia will=
 fail in 5=20
years=E2=80=99 because of increasing spam has been more prophetic for small=
er=20
Wikipedias than the English Wikipedia. According to Goldman, =E2=80=98free=
=20
editability=E2=80=99 (allowing anyone to edit) is Wikipedia=E2=80=99s Achil=
les=E2=80=99 heel.=20
The sheer scale of the English Wikipedia has won out against spammers in
 English Wikipedia, but smaller Wikipedias must face a continual battle =E2=
=80=93
 especially when their numbers are so small in comparison to the=20
spammers.</p>
<p><strong>Reputation</strong></p>
<p>Kollock noted that the effect of contributions on one=E2=80=99s reputati=
on is
 another possible motivation. =E2=80=98High quality information, impressive=
=20
technical details in one=E2=80=99s answers, a willingness to help others, a=
nd=20
elegant writing can al work to increase one=E2=80=99s prestige in the=20
community,=E2=80=99 he found.</p>
<p>It is interesting to note that the reputation motivation requires=20
that there are people to impress in the community. Because of the small=20
scale of Swahili Wikipedia, for example, the fact that one can gain=20
prestige from the group might not necessarily be positive if the real=20
power lies outside the group. The English version of Wikipedia receives 9
 million views per hour, whereas the Swahili version gets 1,700 with the
 effect that one=E2=80=99s reputation is much more highly valued on the Eng=
lish=20
version of Wikipedia.</p>
<p>In addition, the content of the article is noteworthy. A description=20
of Kenya=E2=80=99s first Internet meme, it can be seen as Kenya=E2=80=99s u=
nique=20
contribution to the global phenomenon of Internet memes. This wasn=E2=80=99=
t an=20
article about the British parliamentary system or the life cycle of bees
 =E2=80=93 it was an article that positioned itself in the global framework=
 of=20
Internet memes. =E2=80=98Look, world,=E2=80=99 Kenyans seemed to be saying,=
 =E2=80=98You have=20
your Internet memes. Now we do too!=E2=80=99</p>
<p>If one looks at this through the information sharing lens, one can=20
make a parallel with the fact that people are more likely to contribute=20
expertise rather than organisational knowledge because of its unique=20
character and because it shows something of their unique nature. Kenyans
 were sharing this information specifically on the English Wikipedia=20
because it was unique in the global sense and because they were about to
 contribute their expertise on a subject that they had direct experience
 with for the first time.</p>
<p><strong>Sense of efficacy</strong></p>
<p>The third possible motivation proposed by Kollock is the sense that a
 person contributes valuable information because the act results in a=20
sense of efficacy, that is, =E2=80=98a sense that she has some effect on th=
is=20
environment=E2=80=99.</p>
<p>Certainly, those editing Swahili Wikipedia must have a much larger=20
sense that they are affecting change in the environment since their=20
edits are much more likely to be accepted, and they are more likely able
 to develop policies and rules in the emerging Wikipedia. Contrast this=20
with the fact that new content on English Wikipedia will most likely be=20
reverted and one recognises how one=E2=80=99s sense of efficacy on the=20
environment is affected by Wikipedia=E2=80=99s growing isolation from new=
=20
editors.</p>
<p>From another perspective, however, it can be said that the sense of=20
efficacy would be so much greater on the English Wikipedia since the=20
content of the article is so unique and would have an important impact=20
in diversifying the range of material on the English Wikipedia. In this=20
sense, even if the costs of contributing to English Wikipedia are=20
higher, and even if it is much more difficult to have an effect on the=20
environment, the resulting efficacy is large because it is a unique=20
contribution.</p>
<p><strong>Need</strong></p>
<p>According to Kollock, the fourth motivation is altruistic in the=20
sense that individuals value the outcomes of others. =E2=80=98One may produ=
ce=20
and contribute a public good for the simple reason that a person or the=20
group as a whole has a need for it,=E2=80=99 he says. Here, there may be a =
stark
 difference between the need for Swahili language content on Wikipedia=20
as perceived by the international community and the need within Kenya.</p>
<p>Kenya=E2=80=99s official languages are Swahili and English, with most Ke=
nyans
 being trilingual, speaking their tribal language as well as Swahili and
 English. English is the lingua franca of the global business community=20
and arguably that of the Internet.</p>
<p>Despite 50 million speakers, the Swahili Wikipedia has only about=20
17,000 articles and 400,000 editors, and Swahili is considered more of a
 spoken language than a written language. Thus, Kenyans may not regard=20
the need to develop a Swahili encyclopaedia as high when they are trying
 to improve their English in order to become more established in global=20
business.</p>
<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>
<p>Unhindered by long print publication schedules, Wikipedia is able to=20
reflect events and incidents as soon as they happen, rather than=20
recording only those that a smaller group of experts decide is important
 enough. As broadband access grows in large parts of Africa and Asia,=20
Wikipedia could expand to include a massive new corpus of previously=20
unrecognized viewpoints.</p>
<p>Recent studies have shown how power within Wikipedia is consolidating
 and that attempts to broaden the scope of the encyclopaedia are often=20
met with aggressive deletionism. Wikipedia is said to be =E2=80=98revolutio=
nary=E2=80=99
 because it is written by =E2=80=98ordinary people=E2=80=99 rather than =E2=
=80=98experts=E2=80=99, but=20
whether experts or ordinary people, Wikipedia still reflects the=20
perspective of a small, homogenous, geographically close community.</p>
<p>Although the costs of contributing to smaller Wikipedias are arguably
 lower, people in developing countries like Kenya see the English=20
Wikipedia as the relevant venue for articles that show Kenya=E2=80=99s uniq=
ue=20
contribution to global phenomena. The motivations for contributing in=20
English Wikipedia are therefore much greater than contributing to the=20
Swahili version, but it is unlikely that the vast holes in geographical=20
and cultural content will be filled when the costs of contribution are=20
so large.</p>
<p>My conclusion is that, far from having nothing left to talk about,=20
Wikipedia has a number of holes, but that the homophily of the current=20
network is coming up against its need to expand and diversify. Without a
 strategy for dealing with local notability, Wikipedia will continue to=20
battle to overcome its impediments to growth and will ultimately fail to
 realise more diverse, global participation.</p>
<p><strong>Bibliography</strong></p>
<p>Angwin, J., &amp; Fowler, G. A. (2009, November 27). Volunteers Log Off =
as Wikipedia Ages =E2=80=93 WSJ.com. <em>WSJ.com</em>. Retrieved from <a hr=
ef=3D"http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125893981183759969.html">http://onlin=
e.wsj.com/article/SB125893981183759969.html</a></p>


<p>Butler, B., Joyce, E., &amp; Pike, J. (2008). Don=E2=80=99t look now, bu=
t we=E2=80=99ve created a bureaucracy. In <em>Proceeding of the twenty-sixt=
h annual CHI conference on Human factors in computing systems=C2=A0 =E2=80=
=93 CHI =E2=80=9908</em> (p. 1101). Presented at the Proceeding of the twen=
ty-sixth annual CHI conference, Florence, Italy. doi:10.1145/1357054.135722=
7</p>


<p>Constant, D., Kiesler, S., &amp; Sproull, L. (1994). What=E2=80=99s Mine=
 Is=20
Ours, or Is It? A Study of Attitudes about Information Sharing. <em>Informa=
tion Systems Research</em>, <em>5</em>(4), 400-421. doi:10.1287/isre.5.4.40=
0</p>
<p>Ethnologue report for language code: swh. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 10,
 2010, from <a href=3D"http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=3Ds=
wh">http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=3Dswh</a></p>
<p>Goldman, E. (2005, December 5). Technology &amp; Marketing Law Blog: Wik=
ipedia Will Fail Within 5 Years. <em>Wikipedia Will Fail Within 5 Years</em=
>. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from <a href=3D"http://blog.ericgoldman.org/arch=
ives/2005/12/wikipedia_will.htm">http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2005/=
12/wikipedia_will.htm</a></p>


<p>Graham, M. (2009, December 2). Wikipedia=E2=80=99s known unknowns. Retri=
eved=20
from=20
<a href=3D"http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/dec/02/wikipedia-known=
-unknowns-geotagging-knowledge">http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/d=
ec/02/wikipedia-known-unknowns-geotagging-knowledge</a></p>
<p>Graham, M. (2010, April 9). Mapping Wikipedia Biographies. <em><a href=
=3D"http://floatingsheep.org">floatingsheep.org</a></em>. Retrieved May 9, =
2010, from <a href=3D"http://www.floatingsheep.org/2010/04/mapping-wikipedi=
a-biographies.html">http://www.floatingsheep.org/2010/04/mapping-wikipedia-=
biographies.html</a></p>


<p>Johnson, B. (2009, August 12). Wikipedia enters a new chapter. <em>The G=
uardian</em>. Retrieved from <a href=3D"http://www.guardian.co.uk/technolog=
y/2009/aug/12/wikipedia-deletionist-inclusionist">http://www.guardian.co.uk=
/technology/2009/aug/12/wikipedia-deletionist-inclusionist</a></p>


<p>Kemibaro, M. (2010, March 23). Is Makmende Kenya=E2=80=99s first =E2=80=
=9Cviral=E2=80=9D=20
Internet sensation? Retrieved May 10, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://www.moseskemibaro.com/2010/03/23/is-makmende-kenyas-first=
-viral-internet-sensation/">http://www.moseskemibaro.com/2010/03/23/is-makm=
ende-kenyas-first-viral-internet-sensation/</a></p>
<p>Kiswahili Wikipedia Challenge, sponsored by Google. (n.d.). . Retrieved =
from <a href=3D"http://www.google.com/events/kiswahili-wiki/">http://www.go=
ogle.com/events/kiswahili-wiki/</a></p>
<p>Kollock, P. (1999). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Publi=
c Goods in Cyberspace. In <em>Communities in Cyberspace</em> (pp. 239, 220)=
. Routledge. Retrieved from <a href=3D"http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/facul=
ty/kollock/papers/economies.htm">http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kol=
lock/papers/economies.htm</a></p>


<p>Modelling Wikipedia=E2=80=99s growth. (n.d.). . Wikipedia page, . Retrie=
ved=20
May 9, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Modelling_Wikipedia%27s_g=
rowth">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Modelling_Wikipedia%27s_growt=
h</a></p>
<p>Nosowitz, D. (2010, March 24). Kenya=E2=80=99s First Viral Music Video: =
An Auto-Tuned, Blaxploitation-Themed Epic. <em><a href=3D"http://fastcompan=
y.com">fastcompany.com</a></em>.
 Retrieved May 8, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://www.fastcompany.com/1596460/kenyas-first-viral-music-vide=
o-an-autotuned-blaxploitation-epic">http://www.fastcompany.com/1596460/keny=
as-first-viral-music-video-an-autotuned-blaxploitation-epic</a>?</p>
<p>Rask, M. (2007). The Richness and Reach of Wikinomics: Is the Free=20
Web-Based Encyclopedia Wikipedia Only for the Rich Countries? by Morten=20
Rask. Presented at the Joint Conference of The International Scoiety of=20
Marketing Development and the Macromarketing Society. Retrieved from=20
<a href=3D"http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3D996158">htt=
p://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3D996158</a></p>
<p>Suh, B., Convertino, G., Chi, E. H., &amp; Pirolli, P. (2009). The singu=
larity is not near. In <em>Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium o=
n Wikis and Open Collaboration =E2=80=93 WikiSym =E2=80=9909</em> (p. 1). P=
resented at the the 5th International Symposium, Orlando, Florida. doi:10.1=
145/1641309.1641322</p>


<p>Tapscott, D. (2006). <em>Wikinomics : how mass collaboration changes eve=
rything</em>. New York: Portfolio.</p>
<p>The Economist. (2008, March 6). The battle for Wikipedia=E2=80=99s soul.=
 <em>The Economist</em>.</p>
<p>Torquemada, D. (2006, August 3). Model of English Wikipeda:=20
Predictions until December 31, 2008. Model, . Retrieved May 9, 2010,=20
from <a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikigrow.png">http://en.w=
ikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wikigrow.png</a></p>
<p>United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (n.d.). Human=20
Development Reports (HDR). Retrieved May 10, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/">http://hdr.undp.org/en/stati=
stics/</a></p>
<p>Vinograd, C. (2010, March 24). Kenya Launches Country=E2=80=99s First Vi=
ral Music Video =E2=80=93 Digits =E2=80=93 WSJ. <em>Wall Street Journal Blo=
gs</em>.
 Retrieved May 10, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/03/24/kenya-launches-country%E2=
%80%99s-first-viral-music-video/?mod=3Drss_WSJBlog&amp;mod=3D">http://blogs=
.wsj.com/digits/2010/03/24/kenya-launches-country%E2%80%99s-first-viral-mus=
ic-video/?mod=3Drss_WSJBlog&amp;mod=3D</a></p>


<p>Wikimedia Foundation. (2009, November 26). Wikipedia=E2=80=99s Volunteer=
 Story. <em>Wikimedia Blog</em>. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from <a href=3D"ht=
tp://blog.wikimedia.org/2009/11/26/wikipedias-volunteer-story/">http://blog=
.wikimedia.org/2009/11/26/wikipedias-volunteer-story/</a></p>


<p>Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Makmende Wikipedia Page. In <em>Wikipedia</em=
>. Retrieved from <a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makmende">http://=
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makmende</a></p>
<p>Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Systemic bias on Wikipedia. Retrieved May 10,=
 2010, from <a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:BIAS">http://=
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:BIAS</a></p>
<p>Wikipedia authors. (n.d.). Wikimedia projects =E2=80=93 Meta. Retrieved =
May=20
10, 2010, from <a href=3D"http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_projects=
">http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_projects</a></p>
<p>Wikipedia Criteria for speedy deletion. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 8,=20
2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Criteria_for_speedy_delet=
ion/Overturned_speedy_deletions">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cri=
teria_for_speedy_deletion/Overturned_speedy_deletions</a></p>
<p>Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Makmende =E2=80=93 Wikipedia, the free=
=20
encyclopedia. (n.d.). . Retrieved May 8, 2010, from=20
<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Mak=
mende">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Makmend=
e</a></p>
<p>Zachte, E. (n.d.). Wikipedia Statistics. Retrieved May 10, 2010, from <a=
 href=3D"http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/Sitemap.htm">http://stats.wikimedia.=
org/EN/Sitemap.htm</a></p>
<p>Zuckerman, E. (2010, March 24). Makmende=E2=80=99s so huge, he can=E2=80=
=99t fit in Wikipedia. <em>My heart=E2=80=99s in Accra</em>. Retrieved May =
8, 2010, from <a href=3D"http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2010/03/24/makm=
endes-so-huge-he-cant-fit-in-wikipedia/">http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog=
/2010/03/24/makmendes-so-huge-he-cant-fit-in-wikipedia/</a></p>


<div>
<hr size=3D"1">
<div>
<p><a href=3D"http://hblog.org/writing/the-missing-wikipedians/#_ftnref2">[=
2]</a> This was the headline of a blog post by Ethan Zuckerman <a href=3D"h=
ttp://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2010/03/24/makmendes-so-huge-he-cant-fit-=
in-wikipedia/">http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2010/03/24/makmendes-so-h=
uge-he-cant-fit-in-wikipedia/</a></p>


</div>
</div>
		</div>
					</div>
</div><br clear=3D"all">-- <br>&quot;Discordo daquilo que dizes, mas defend=
erei at=C3=A9 a morte o teu direito de o dizeres&quot;. - Voltaire<br>
<div style=3D"visibility: hidden; left: -5000px; position: absolute; z-inde=
x: 9999; padding: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow: hidden;=
 word-wrap: break-word; color: black; font-size: 10px; text-align: left; li=
ne-height: 130%;" id=3D"avg_ls_inline_popup">

</div>

--bcaec53f901f8ebdfd049c990008--