User:Seav/On WikiPilipinas

This page will be my repository of all my thoughts and commentary regarding the Philippine knowledgebase WikiPilipinas. I am probably the most vocal critic of that online project and I have expounded my views on my personal blog, at the Pinoy Wikipedian community message board, on WikiPilipinas website itself, in the Manila Bulletin, and in the comments section of numerous blog posts talking about WikiPilipinas.

It's not just me or most of the Pinoy Wikipedians who question the raison d'être of WikiPilipinas. Other critical-thinking bloggers have not jumped on the WikiPilipinas-is-cool bandwagon and are pretty much ambivalent about the project and have decided on a wait-and-see attitude. For a real critical look, here's one writer's cynical review of both Wikipedia and WikiPilipinas, "Feeding the frogs in the well,", where he puts forth fine arguments against both online projects (Wikipedia is extremely unreliable, though useful; WikiPilipinas is just wasted effort). I agree with most of his points, though I don't share his conviction about Wikipedia (it's a glass-half-full-half-empty sort of thing).

Misconcepcions of Wikipedia

Two of the most important differences between Wikipedia and WikiPilipinas is that the latter does not endorse Wikipedia's neutral point of view (NPOV) policy and encourages original research, which Wikipedia frowns upon.

The truth about NPOV. Gus Vibal, the founder of WikiPilipinas says, "I personally believe that it is impossible for any writer to feign a 'neutral point of view.'" He goes on to say, "We encourage our writers to be bold and to have strong points of view. But we will also ask them to balance whatever strong opinions they have against the counter arguments of their opposition... we encourage them instead to make 'balanced presentations.'" Did Mr. Vibal even read the definition of NPOV? NPOV is essentially all about balanced presentation. So he is actually using the "NPOV gobbledygook" that he is so against with on WikiPilipinas. The policy of WikiPilipinas to wit:

WikiPilipinas encourages balanced presentation, but not a "neutral point of view". Though WikiPilipinas does not endorse, advocate, or subscribe to particular political, religious, or ideological views, WikiPilipinas does not believe that any view can ever be neutral. However, WikiPilipinas expects fair discussion of an issue from all sides.

Contrast that with the nutshell definition of the neutral point of view:

All Wikipedia articles and other encyclopedic content must be written from a neutral point of view, representing views fairly, proportionately and without bias. [emphasis mine]

Expecting a "fair discussion of an issue from all sides" effectively means "representing views fairly."

References

Mass Media

• "WikiPilipinas gives online info on RP" - GMA News video story on WikiPilipinas.
• "Wikipilipinas founder aims for ‘long tail’ effect" - Inquirer.net story.
• "WikiPilipinas founder answers credibility issues" - The Vibal Publishing house recently became part of a textbook scandal and Gus Vibal clarifies that WikiPilipinas is a separate venture.
• "Wiki comes to the Philippines - Bringing along ‘copyleft’ IPR model popularized by Wikipedia" - Manila Times article on WikiPilipinas
• "WikiPilipinas stirs Pinoy knowledge revolution" - Youth & Campus, Manila Bulletin Online, 2007-08-27.
• 'Wikipilipinas: Join the knowledge revolution." YOUTH SPEAK By Monique Buensalido. Philippine Star, Friday, Aug. 31, 2007
• "Wikipedia or WikiPilipinas? : the debate continues" - Part 1 of Annalyn Jusay's interview with me about Wikipedia and WikiPilipinas in the Manila Bulletin.

New Media

• "Is There Any Point to Wikipiniana?" - The original blog post that seav answered.
• "There is Currently No Point to Wikipiniana (aka WikiPilipinas)" - seav's response blog entry.
• "WikiPilipinas and the Philippine Comic Book Industry" - Jonas Diego's highlight of the comprehensive WikiPilipinas entry on Pinoy Comics.
• "Rainy Day Friday Round-up" - Abe Olandres' (most influential Pinoy blogger) intro to WikiPilipinas.
• "Sommelier Selection, Mrs. Fields, WikiPilipinas" - Noemi Dado's entry about a blogger event which is participated in by WikiPilipinas.
• "WikiPilipinas" - Reaction of a person after attending the WikiPilipinas press launch in Makati on August 22. Very informative, and well-researched reaction that even touches on the history of the encyclopedia concept. She doesn't find WikiPilipinas revolutionary, but instead finds its hodge-podge nature mundane, and ultimately interesting as a compendium of "stories" rather than something academic.
• "WikiPilipinas reaches 100,000 visitor mark in 24 Hours" - Seems like a Filipiniana.net press release reproduced in this blog verbatim. It even quotes Nino Gonzales about the upcoming "turf war." I don't like the way it mentioned that the Filipino Wikipedia community is a "rival."
• "Wikipilipinas: From a Wikipedia subset to one-stop hub on RP" - This blogger also thinks that there's hardly an point to WikiPilipinas as it exists right now but is willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
• "Why I Believe in Wikipilipinas" - Dennis Villegas' piece praising the WikiPilipinas and Filipiniana.net projects. He shares the enthusiasm of Gus Vibal for a Pinoy-centric resource site and mentions at the end that he has switched completely to being a WikiPilipinas contributor from being a Wikipedian.
• http://yatotchronicles.blogspot.com/2007/08/is-there-need-for-wikipilipinas.html