The first aspect of Wikimedia I chose to focus on was Wikibooks. Wikibooks is a collection of articles that all relate to a specific topic. Image that all of the Wikipedia articles on European history were arranged, in chronological order, in one place.
The article on first aid is a good example. It opens with a brief overview of the book as well as a table of contents. The chapters are listed in an organized way that makes it easy to learn. Clicking on the links in the table of contents brings you to the specific articles. This is a very nice way to learn specific things as it is more organized that Wikipedia.
The next aspect I looked at was Wikispecies. Wikispecies is a catalog of all species that is directed at scientists rather than the general pubic. As a history teacher, I can hardly understand anything in the articles. Here's an example from Abrothallus halei:
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Fungi
Divisio: Ascomycota
Subphylum: Genera incertae sedis
Genus: Abrothallus
One thing that Wikispecies has going for it is the fact that it is geared for a specific audience. Yes, fewer people will use it than Wikipedia, but it could grow to be an invaluable tool for those that do use it, especially advanced college students.
Overall I am very impressed with Wikimedia. The foundation seems to be working very hard to be everything to everyone, and is very successful. The fact that they have remained non-profit is also another selling point; there is no chance for advertiser bias.
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