10 ways Wikipedia would be improved with the WOK project
Wikipedia is a great encyclopedia and de facto the learning book in the World. This article is about the WOK project turning Wikipedia into a school. And at the same time mixing Wikipedia with gamification and social media. And a mobile-first platform. WOK and Wikipedia are in symbiosis. The awareness of WOK in the Wikipedia Community and among editors and users is low. The Wikipedia Movement at large would prosper faster if the advantage of WOK was given more attention. Aiming to give knowledge access to the Worlds student with Wikipedia as a core information source. The millions of the World Students would benefit from the work WOK Community has done over the many years more quickly if more Wikipedia Editors would understand its potential. The article list 10 ways Wikipedia would be improved with the WOK project.
The World of Knowledge project is a project that aims to improve Wikipedia. It's a humanitarian project. This article will list the most important advantage if Wikipedia would incorporate WOK Community of Questions apart from the technical details of how and on the important policy discussion about Open Source and NGO.
1. Every Wikipedia article that has multiple-choice questions at the end is a better article than articles without MCQs
This is not an opinion. It's a fact. A well-written article on Wikipedia gives students around the World a tremendous opportunity to learn facts for free. It is accessible on mobile as well as desktop versions on the official Wikipedia. Any chapter in a schoolbook that ends with some questions in the end force the students to reflect and check if the subject has been understood and learned. If the information has developed to knowledge. And this would be the same in Wikipedia. Any article will in the future not be considered complete without some questions at the end making the article possible for students to reflect on. THIS IS MISSING IN WIKIPEDIA.
And this is why WOK has put so many years of efforts to fix this "bug". By making the foundation of the Knowledge Network. By creating the app WikiMaster. Any outsider of the Wikipedia Community understands that WOK is a Wikipedia project just bu looking at it. "WOK has completed Wikipedia with multiple-choice questions". So what is the problem? It's just to implement it by the Wikipedia Community. Wikipedia would enhance its academic use with the WOK database of MCQ as a start. End of Story. Wait a minute! It is not that simple.
First of all: Wikipedia has a well-molded practice of how things work in the improvement process. There is a process of suggesting an addon called Gadget. Then the evaluation process among the Wikipedians / Wikimedians that has to accept or reject. So it's not possible to "go around this" by creating something useful "outside" the Community and within the environment of the Wikipedia Community where all Wikimedians have a role and a hierarchy of trust based on how many articles written or edited. Wikipedia does not have a plan for "unexpected events" like someone working outside the Community of making Wikipedia better. The instinct is to push away such efforts like it was a virus into the system. If the Community and the leading Community members do not think it is a good idea to implement questions at the end of the articles; it will not be an implemented function. It is not going to happen and also; the objection of such an idea will follow by numerous of counteractions. So no matter the benefit for the users not involved in the process of the internal affair of Wikipedia, it's not going to happen unless something changes like attitudes.
The WOK project has due to this become the most spoken and most mistrusted project, therefore. Missing out the fact that Wikipedia articles without multiple-choice questions (MCQ) are a far less good Wikipedia than a Wikipedia with MCQ. So WOK has to work as an outside project for the time being until it is so obvious that the Wikipedia Cultural Revolution resistance is standing in the way of progress. Leaving the most load voices against the WOK project be unchecked in discussions on social media and on internal Facebook groups discussed extrapolate this trend. The more reason and arguments to support; the more load is the voice from people who think less of its importance and this triggers early supporters out by silence. WOK has experienced people even afraid to comment or taking contract after having supported the WOK idea of the pure fear of repercussions from the leaders against implementing questions with the WOK ecosystem.
When WOK started the expected reaction from Wikipedia once it was presented to the Wikipedia Community was more of "Cool you have improved Wikipedia with this function! We will help you implement it!". Not the reaction of "Trespassing the area of Wikipedia will be subject of releasing the dogs"
2. Every minute Wikipedia usage can take time off from Social Media, knowledge in the World increase
The Wikipedia mission of spreading Free Knowledge is in line with the WOK mission of free knowledge. In the World of Fake News, weakening results in PISA test, a school system in crisis and voters who (with emotions rather than with rational arguments) vote for populistic and shortsighted political solutions (Brexit) Wikipedia should engage in spreading the World with more knowledge, And support all internal as external projects that go in line with this vision. The Knowledge Network WOK is today a reality not thanks to Wikipedia, but with the Wikipedia API being accessible for 3rd party WOK has been able to not only use the Wikipedia articles but build an ecosystem of apps around it in the Knowledge Network. Working already in symbiosis with Wikipedia, Wikipedia would benefit much more from even more actively cooperating and supporting and thrive out of the fresh ideas and implementation that WOK implements in WikiMaster. If a social media project like WOK could make people use Wikipedia more and others not as educating social media less; the World would be a better place according to the principles of Wikipedia and WOK.
3. Mobile First should be the true focus of Wikipedia since the World is turning mobile.
Smartphone and mobile usage of Wikipedia increase every year. Globally. Wikipedians editing articles and driving the Community and movement forward is extensively using the desktop version and are not prone to change behavior. Stuck in their own behavior bubble: as a group, they can not judge their own needs from the normal Wikipedia Consumer needs. This is why apps such as WikiMaster or WikiFlip is considered nonimportant. The core of Wikipedia Editors limits their use and vast commitment to building the online encyclopedia at desktop versions. This affects the decision making and the focus and the mission target set in the future document of vision for Wikipedia 2030. The notion that this encyclopedia is the ground for the future online school in the mobile as the WOK project aims to build combining social network and knowledge with gamification is a concept too far out of the core and leading Wikipedians as of 2018. Wikipedia at large would benefit from shifting focus to Mobile First and join forces with the WOK project in this mission. Making the Smartphone a smart phone.
4. Gamification is a trend. Wikipedia should join in.
All over the World gamification is stepping in. Making everything more attractive, like banking, insurance, traveling, etc more fun to use. Wikipedia should join in. Why? It's an encyclopedia. Not a tool for fun. Well: The mission of Wikipedia is to spread free knowledge. If Wikipedia would jump in on the gamification trend, the youth of today would be able to consume Wikipedia content in many different flavors. The apps of WOK: WikiMaster, WikiFlip, Quiz King would be in line with this outspoken ambition. Wikipedia would not need to change: Just actively support more different usage of Wikipedia content. From WOK and from others. Not actively making everything to stop initiative like WOK, but support efforts like WOK in order to make more similar projects feeling welcome to join in on the Wikipedia mission of spreading Free Knowledge. Wrapped in gamification. Fun and play. Learning facts is the transportation of gathered information into the heads. Information accessible on a Wikipedia page is not the same as being knowledgeable in the head of internet users.
5. Creating a school with Wikipedia as a base needs an expanded vision of what Wikipedia is about
New fresh ideas inspire new fresh ideas. Like love becomes more the more love you spend. The interaction of ideas from outside the Community should be wider embraced. The "Not invented here" -syndrome is to disadvantage for the Wikipedia movement. Having more than a half-decade experience with WOK relation with Wikipedia; Instead of finding errors in the eyes of others, find inspiration. If the WOK project is not Open Source, explain the possibility of Open Source rather than have a misconception of the fact WOK has some bad intentions in trying to exploit Wikipedia. We are on a mission to help students an even better tool for learning by making Wikipedia a school. If Wikipedia is stuck on being an encyclopedia, WOK will be the school on top of it with the articles as schoolbooks. WOK will have exams. It will be the Wikipedia Global School. Free access to the best education in the World. This is not "exploiting" Wikipedia. Its taking Wikipedia to a new frontier. Being bold and visionary is bound to have counterreactions. Columbus did try a lot before he was granted funds for his voyage to India which happened to be the Bahamas.
6. Complementing the Wikipedia privacy policy with great functions useful for Wikipedia users
Wikipedia has a strict policy of privacy. For example, no one shall find out what pages anyone in the World has searched for or read. Being Open Source is not the same as being open when it comes to privacy. Cooperating with the Knowledge Network WOK by offering those who want to socialize and open display their identity and activities in a social network would COMPLEMENT the Wikipedia movement. Not to consider breaching a core principle for Wikipedia. People who embrace social networks advantages like finding real friends from the everyday World as around the globe neighbors in school and in the fiber of social networks where we live and the people we meet in our hoods, as well as the online friends with the shared interest of knowledge, should be able to feel support by Wikipedia as organization for having WOK ecosystem to offer in the bouquet of usage.
For some of the functions not possible for Wikipedia to implement, but has a great value for the end-users who wish to be on social media; WOK would be the natural partner to guide these users too. "Wikipedia does not offer these services out of our principles of privacy and data protection, but for those of the Wikipedia users who do like to benefit from functionalities only possible WOK ecosystem and WikiMaster would be a service to guide to". The best example of this is Booklet function in WikiMaster. It is like a Playlist in Spotify. It has a great benefit for Wikipedia users, but Wikipedia has decided not to introduce it. There is a possibility to have two thoughts at the same time in the head. The Wikipedia aspect and limitations based on principles (see below on Privacy and Data Storage) and the end-user (not being a Wikipedia editor) aspect of benefits of functionality. Hence: Wikipedia can reject a shared function of the Reading List on good grounds but at the same time suggest, encourage and support the idea of the existing Booklet function. The monopoly of ideas for the benefit of the users of Wikipedia can extend beyond the possibilities for what Wikipedia can accomplish within the framework for Wikipedia." See https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Apps/Synced_Reading_Lists
- Homework made by teachers putting a set of Wikipedia articles together: Ex. "French Revolution Homework" would have French Revolution as the main article, but also Guillotine., Louis XVI of France, Georges Danton, Maximilien Robespierre, Storming of the Bastille, etc.
- Documentaries: The Crown S2E5 has many interesting facts you want to look into deeper after watching the show.
- A Booklet/ Folder/ WikiSet/ would be great to have and time-saving so all relevant articles about this episode could be easily found and viewed.
- Ted Talks, Youtube, Exam Paper, etc. The need and advantage are endless. All Wikipedia users would have a need for a set of Wikipedia articles made by others. Just like Spotify has PlayList and WikiMaster app has Booklet: Wikipedia Desktop and Wikipedia Mobile App should have this function. If the Privacy and Data Storage principle reject this possible to implement this function based on the well-thought weight of principles versus the benefit of functionality; fine. But then at least Wikipedia should realize the upsides and work closely and embrace the WOK project as an option for the people around the world who would appreciate the existence of such function. Rather than call the mentioning of the app WikiMaster and ecosystem WOK for unwanted in Wikipedia Weekly discussion: A discussion of a universal benefit for all Wikipedia users shall not be silenced, censored or bullied just because it is implemented outside the Wikipedia. It is counterproductive and energy draining. Wikipedia and WOK are striving for the same thing but from a different perspective. They would be a perfect fit apart from WOK being a fraction in the size of Wikipedia.
7. The Factfulness Quiz show how much knowledge is missing despite access to information
In a world where access to information has never been easier, the World floods with the vast majority that has no clue about the fundamental changes that have been going on at an accelerated pace over the last decades. In the book Factfulness, written by the legendary Hans Rosling (1948-2017) and his son Ola Rosling and his son-in.law Anna Rosling Rönnblom 13 questions in a Quiz is presented in the first chapter. It seems like Quiz as a form for introducing knowledge to a large group of readers (the book is Nr 1 on the New York Times Management Booklist as this article is written) is well used. The Quiz put Questions about how the World looks like in a fundamental way that the general public, the professors, and the Nobel Prize Winners have no clue about. In fact, they are less good in the Quiz than would be chimpanzees. Apart from the book effectively putting a Quiz in the center of the attention (as all Wikipedia Article should have): The mission from Wikipedia in spreading information about the World should join forces with all organizations, companies, and projects like WOK that would include quiz as part of the information. The obvious conclusion all Wikimedians editing articles on Wikipedia should draw from this is:
- If we put all the information out there for people to read; We must help them to actually learn and understand in every possible way. And with Quizzes as a tool.
- Every article is "mentally" (as from the Wikipedia aspect) not finished until there is a Quiz with some 3-4 Questions attached to the article. Just for the fact people should be able to reflect on what the information just read is about.
- If the most essential and big information on how the World looks like is so obviously wrong in people's conception and minds: The Wikipedia should be putting this to the top of the agenda and invite people who are driven by spreading information so it ends up in the heads of people. Not oppose it, deny its existence by being passive in support or openly against it and oppress it for its weaknesses and call it spam.
8. The first step to Wikipedia editing is creating multiple Choice Questions
During the first WOK Conference ever held, in Lagos Nigeria on January 29-31 in alliance with the Wikipedia User Group Nigeria (WUGN) the delegates had a 3-day introduction to WikiMaster and the WOK project. The edithon for the event was held together with students from Lagos University. (see Journal report ) who created over 500 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) in WikiMaster. In this process, the students learned how to check facts, create good and interesting questions with all the guidelines that follow on how to do that. Since WUGN chairmen Olaniyan Olushola has understood the win/ win situation of Wikipedia working close with WOK due to the great mutual benefit, the students not only created questions but discovered that the mental barrier of creating and editing articles on Wikipedia would be the natural next step.
Hence: The most valuable conclusion of this conference was that WOK is a DOOR OPENER TO NEW EDITORS ON WIKIPEDIA. It's mutually beneficial. Once the broader Wikipedia Community understands that quizzes enhance the academic use, make the article more interesting and appealing to read, editors are more likely to be editors once they started to create questions Wikipedia Community would embrace WOK with much more love and affection that has been the case so far.
9. Marketing with Knowledge Contest huge success
The WikiMaster Nigeria Contest that took place in February in addition to the Content Conference was a huge media success with coverage in Printed Press News Media, National Evening TV News, Radio Show Live Interview, Morning Talk Shows Live Interviews and BBC News Spot. No Wikipedia related event probably has ever got so much media attention in Africa (source needed) with 100 million viewers covering the Press Conference. Since Wikipedia and WOK were jointly tied together in this Conference and Knowledge Contest, the media saw it as Wikipedia as a unit had taken new exiting steps moving into new territory and was therefore interested to cover it on a broader scale in Nigeria among the 190 million people living there. It was a massive coverage and success orchestrated by Olanian Olushola and Olatunde Isaac.
This was an excellent example of how Wikipedia could go further with this type of WikiMaster Contest in other countries. Especially in Countries with low Wikipedia Penetration. Raise awareness of the need for more local content on Wikipedia, establish a Conference education creation of questions in WOK, collab with Wikipedia Article Editing and Host a Knowledge Contest to make the Students and General Public and Press drawn into the Event Driven Happening. To expand beyond the already dedicated inner circle of Wikipedians.
10. The Knowledge Network WOK that will follow of a larger Community of Wikipedia
The creation of the Knowledge Network WOK with Wikipedia encyclopedia moving into the territory of social media making billions addicted to learning just as they are to the serotonin driven platforms that dominate the industry will create the online school for the future. My sincere wish is that the Wikipedia community at large with its advantage of creating the most trustful source of educational material also shall step in and be in the driving seat of this development. And change today's attitude of neglecting the existence of WOK. The marginal effect of good MCQs on top of important and large articles are so much better payoff than writing a marginalized and minor article with few readers. MCQs are today existing on 161000 articles in WOK. Over 410000 questions are created already by the WOK Community. 140000 of them are illustrated with images from Wikimedia Commons, visible in WikiFlip and in WikiMaster and Quiz King.
The process of cover all Wikipedia articles will be a reality over time. It will eventually grow exponentially. Just like Wikipedia grew during its first years. WOK and Wikipedia are like Yin and Yang. Brothers and sisters. Belong together but are different. Same family striving for the same cause. Free information. Knowledge. After the big and great task of WikiData; the MCQs will be the next big thing for Wikipedia. And should be in the Future Document. If Wikipedia does not support WOK, the Knowledge Network will be in the hands of another cooperation. The Wikipedia distributed information and crowd-based community is a better place than closed cooperation that will gather more information about the knowledge of humans.
In hope for a better Wikipedia hand in hand with the hundreds of thousands of Wikimedians. Love you all.
Erik Bolinder
Founder of WOK
Summary
Wikipedia should embrace and cooperate much more intensely with the WOK project. There is so much better if the WOK project would be in development within the WMF movement rather than being a commercial project.
It should be a project within the umbrella of the Wikipedia Foundation. Because it's obvious it belongs there.WOK project will move to an NGO (Non-Government Organization) for charity by the creation of the WOKworld Foundation (see www.wok.ac) and move to Open Source. This process is in progress during the summer of 2018. For any more inquiries, contact Erik Bolinder or Sherif Sayed.
(final beta version May 18, 2018)
Illustrations needed. / Update May 25
Links needed/ Partly fixed May 25
Some trimming needed/ Feedback from JH received/ Feedback MB/
Shortening needed/ Suggested 1-10 articles and one Summary
May 26: Facebook group Wikipedia Weekly with admin Liam and Andrew Lie censored this article: Deleted post after Asaf Bartov wrote "Don't spam the group." with like from Jan Ainaili.
Jimmy Wales in an email on May 26:
I congratulate you on your continued success and note that it sounds like
you are already in touch with the right people and are on the right track.
Jimmy Wales. Funder Wikipedia
See also more articles related to this topic
WOK and Open Source. The process has begun.
The process of learning by adding tags
The advantages of closer cooperation with Wikipedia- Things that will quickly improve
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