I went on a rant earlier with a friend about how Wikipedia is, with few exception, representative of the popular consensus and for this reason is generally reliable, although as a dynamic document still unfit to cite. I use Wikipedia a lot, perhaps an unhealthy amount, to a augment my knowledge. Really, it's more like refilling a cup with a hole in it. I use to check out movies before I see them (because I lurve spoilers) and then again after, which is a really weird habit in retrospect. I spent at least an hour reading about zombie movies yesterday morning, you know, because of the Zompire thing. It's a good thing my phone isn't powerful enough to surf, or I'd get some sort of thumb-cramp typing terms into a search box, although I could get that from copious texting anyway. But really, Wikipedia is like having a phone-a-friend with someone who's significantly smarter than the rest of your friends.
However.
There is one topic I've found Wikipedia to be chronically unreliable and that is the world of jazz musicians. Because Wikipedia is dependent on the enthusiasm of its community certain topics are bound to receive more attention than others according to individuals interest. While anyone can edit Wikipedia, it takes a certain degree of commitment to learn the formatting rules and style regulations necessary to create a page that won't receive a speedy delete or an equally grisly fate. Perhaps there aren't many Wikipedians interested in Jazz or it's a low priority or any number of reasons. I stopped trying to use Wikipedia for a biographies of jazz musicians some time ago; there are just so many and such frequent collaboration that it seems unreasonable to expect them to have a detailed discographies and a biographies for anyone but the most influential musicians. And then you have local and regional musicians and so on...
Anyways, local musicians. I just did a wikipedia search for one of my favorite jazz composer/pianist/vocalist since I was listening to one of his songs and it seems, if I am to believe Wikipedia, that he is currently a Portland resident. Now I really want to track down Mr. Frishberg and get him to sign my copy of School House Rock!
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Now playing: Dave Frishberg - Z's
via FoxyTunes
However.
There is one topic I've found Wikipedia to be chronically unreliable and that is the world of jazz musicians. Because Wikipedia is dependent on the enthusiasm of its community certain topics are bound to receive more attention than others according to individuals interest. While anyone can edit Wikipedia, it takes a certain degree of commitment to learn the formatting rules and style regulations necessary to create a page that won't receive a speedy delete or an equally grisly fate. Perhaps there aren't many Wikipedians interested in Jazz or it's a low priority or any number of reasons. I stopped trying to use Wikipedia for a biographies of jazz musicians some time ago; there are just so many and such frequent collaboration that it seems unreasonable to expect them to have a detailed discographies and a biographies for anyone but the most influential musicians. And then you have local and regional musicians and so on...
Anyways, local musicians. I just did a wikipedia search for one of my favorite jazz composer/pianist/vocalist since I was listening to one of his songs and it seems, if I am to believe Wikipedia, that he is currently a Portland resident. Now I really want to track down Mr. Frishberg and get him to sign my copy of School House Rock!
----------------
Now playing: Dave Frishberg - Z's
via FoxyTunes
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