Wikifying the Amazon
We’ve noticed this before, but now people seem to be actually using Amazon’s ProductWiki. Seeing how people can already comment in the Reviews section, one wonders how this will be used or abused. They suggest that their readers/writers should “Think of a Wiki as an encyclopedia entry that everyone who comes to the page will read.” Obviously, they’ve heavily influenced by Wikipedia, but who isn’t. A wiki is a way for a community to create content. It needn’t be encyclopedic, but perhaps the ‘pedia’s influence on wikis has contorted their flexibility.
So far, their 2200-some entries are unremarkable, with some link spam and pet projects. The wiki lacks social construct, such as being able to see who edited what. Maintenance pages, like recent changes, are also missing, although “recently edited” is available. The distinction, while subtle, is important. I can see what was edited, but not how. Therefore, I can’t police the wiki for Amazon. Let’s see how long this lasts.