Wikipedia: built on cooperation and collaboration

Wikipedia depends on collaboration for success (18 September 2008, Daily Trojan)

Professor Robert E. Kraut of Carnegie Mellon University discussed the factors that are involved in the success of online communities, and his own research into the coordination techniques of Wikipedia. Success in an online community can be defined in a number of ways, he said, but to succeed, online communities need to overcome challenges such as a lack of response to posts, recruiting members and welcoming newcomers. Focusing on Wikipedia, Kraut said that Wikipedia articles require "an awful lot of substantial coordination", for example, in planning the article or dealing with disputes. There is explicit coordination (such as through planning and discussing) and implicit coordination (such as through structuring), he said, and the coordination work lies beneath the surface of the article.

Other mentions

Other recent mentions in the online media include:

• Defining the Bush Doctrine: Not as Simple as it Sounds (15 September 2008, The Wall Street Journal blogs)
  The aftermath of Sarah Palin's "perceived gaffe" focuses attention on the Bush Doctrine article.
• Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales on wiki success and failure (11 September 2008, ZDNet blogs)
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• Wikipedia Sleuths Win Journalism Award for Wired.com (10 September 2008, Wired.com blogs)
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• Vernon Kay shocked at death by Wikipedia (15 September 2008, TechRadar UK)
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• Knol, the Wikipedia Maybe-Fork? (19 September 2008, Slashdot)
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• How Wikipedia Works (19 September 2008, Kansas City infoZine)
  This is a book review of How Wikipedia Works, written by a number of prominent Wikipedians.