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Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia created by a community of volunteers. Wikipedia is among the worlds top 15 websites with around 1.7 billion visitors per month. Wikipedia has been in talks for quite some time now in terms for having misleading and false information. An action has finally been taken regarding this by the nonprofit Wikipedias parent company called The Wikimedia Foundation. They have set a new universal code of conduct that has set rules according to the community guide lines. This code of conduct will acknowledge the fact of negative behavior that is there on the site. The company recently announced that it was their duty to take hands with this responsibility and make the site comfortable for use with more than 50 percent of the population now having access to the internet globally.

This is the companys aim towards creating a safe and reliable information source. Wikimedias new policy is making sure to destroy any manipulated content on Wikipedia which is the worlds largest online encyclopedia.

Katherine Maher, the chief executive of the foundation said that this universal code of conduct is made to provide a safe, positive and healthy environment for the users of this new Internet era. The code includes a 1600 words binding document that is to be read by anyone who wishes to participate in the projects preventing any thing that can come in harassment, profanity and attempts to publish false and manipulated texts. This universal code of conduct is put together by 1500 Wikipedia volunteers from 19 different Wikipedia projects. The volunteers represented five continents and thirty languages. It includes rules related to harassment and other non-tolerable behavior in clear and simple words. The code is aimed towards preventing anything that can be demeaning towards others whether it is in terms of abuse of language or by false information or things that can promote violence.

The code of conduct was released after 15th January when Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary. This move comes after the much news that was made on the internet in terms of manipulated controls of information and things that can promote violence or abuse regarding others. This was being used by political parties for their advantages to spread misinformation against their rivals. The code is made by keeping every communitys ethnical guidelines on hand.

Read next:Verified Accounts On Twitter Have Interacted With A Record-High Number Of Misinformed Articles Online

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Wikipedia's parent company releases a new universal code of conduct related to abuse, profanity and misinformation of things on the site - Digital...

Gary Whetton lifts the Bledisloe Cup in 1991.Credit:AP

Theres bits of truth, says Whetton of his Wikipedia page. The best thing is its almost believable, so youre not too sure. My mates started changing my Wikipedia for fun because they had nothing to do. Its pretty ridiculous but I think its quite funny.

Whetton was born in Auckland and his father Gary chalked up 58 Tests for the All Blacks, captaining the side on 15 occasions. His dads twin, Alan, also played 35 Tests in the famous black jersey but rugby wasnt Whettons first calling.

Dad didnt play rugby until he was about 15, he always played soccer, Whetton says. He tried to get us to play soccer and I hated it. There was never any pressure. When I was 15 and said I wanted to give rugby a good crack, then he switched on to be more hands-on. He was a lock and is my height.

Wikipedia is correct in saying Whetton could qualify for the Wallabies or All Blacks take note Dave Rennie but Germany through birth?

Thats not true. Thats complete rubbish, Whetton says with a laugh. Id love to go though.

At 21, Whetton moved to Australia to take up a deal with the Brumbies, but according to Wikipedia, the Auckland Blues also wanted his services.

In a controversial move, he turned down their offer and instead signed for the Brumbies in October 2012, the page reads.

Whetton sets the record straight.

Id already signed with the Brumbies before they came to me, Whetton says. Steve Larkham and Laurie Fisher offered me a full contract. I played half-a-dozen games for the Brums all off the bench.

Seeking greater opportunity, Whetton found a temporary home in Leicester, where he met Thorn, with a World Cup to his name and one of the most decorated CVs in world rugby, and Geoff Parling, the former England second-rower now doubling as a Melbourne Rebels and Wallabies assistant.

According to Wikipedia, there was only so much he could learn from Thorn and Parling, hence why Whetton left for France.

Whetton during his Brumbies days. Credit:Jeffrey Chan

Whetton bursts out laughing.

I havent seen Brad since that season, so itll be good to catch up with him here in Narrabri, Whetton says. I was a 22-year-old kid who thought he knew the whole world. They just brought a whole new level of intensity, especially at training. Jeez they trained hard.

Then came a French adventure with second division team USO Nevers and neighbour Jean-Luc Emmanuel, the local tax accountant who found Whettons companionship the perfect tonic after going through his third divorce.

Ive got no idea who Jean-Luc is. No clue, Whetton chuckles.

Jack Whetton receives a lineout during Waratahs training in Narrabri ahead of their trial match against the Queensland Reds. Credit:Clay Cross/NSW Waratahs

Dad played in France when I was a baby though. Hes brought us up on the French culture.

Whetton confirms there were a few Yorkshire puddings consumed in the UK from 2016 to 2018 before coming back to New Zealand with Super Rugby firmly on his mind.

One quick fact check. While at Yorkshire, Whetton was a hit with fans due to his prolific try-scoring ability, scoring 39 tries in 39 games. At the same time, the fans grew quite frustrated as he also set a club record for dropping the ball over the try-line.

I only scored one or two tries, Whetton says. Theyve pumped up those.

New Waratahs signing Jack Whetton.Credit:NSW Waratahs

After a short stint in Mitre 10 Cup for Auckland, Whetton was picked up by the Highlanders, where he debuted in early 2019.

Last year, he was the Highlanders starting second-rower in Super Rugby Aotearoa.

It was pleasing, Whetton says. You get a few regular starts and you get used to it more and things come more naturally.

What about the yarn that he can bench press 200kg?

Jack Whetton is one of two Kiwi locks who crossed the Tasman to join the Waratahs.Credit:AP

That is true, Whetton says with a grin.

For context, roughly 13 professional rugby players have been known to join the 200kg bench press club. David Pocock was said to have maxed out at 185kg, while Brumbies back-rower Pete Samu can bench about 160kg. The most on record, according to a RugbyPass article, is Ospreys prop Gheorghe Gajion with 230kg.

I was stuck on 190 for ages and then in 2018 I hurt my ankle, Whetton says. I said to the trainer, lets get 200kg. We did heaps of upper body for four weeks. Testosterone flowing, music raging, and I pumped it out. I got the record for Auckland.

When I went for my first training at the Highlanders and we had testing on day one. I did 200kg again and they were like, this boy is a machine. I havent done 200kg since to be fair. Its crazy big. Just hold your breath and rip it.

How do Whettons Tahs teammates fare?

Pound for pound, [back-rower] Carlo Tizzano is a strong little bastard, Whetton says. He loves the pound for pound thing because hes so small.

Ironically, Waratahs coach Rob Penney didnt pick Whetton in his New Zealand under-20s side a few years back but clearly saw value in bringing him to NSW on a two-year deal.

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I didnt really want to travel too far from home given the whole COVID situation, Whetton says. Im excited to give it a crack. I knew they needed some older heads, so I thought it could be a good chance to get some minutes under my belt. I back my knowledge and around the dark arts.

I thought last years Super Rugby AU was fast, blokes ran hard. Sometimes it wasnt the most flash rugby, but it was abrasive.

A few more fact or fictions regarding the final line of the Wikipedia page need checking.

In his spare time, he enjoys relaxing at the beach or eating a chicken wrap at Henriettas in Surry Hills. Many people are tipping him to be vice-captain of the side in 2021.

I do like Clovelly and Bronte, Whetton says. And yes, I have been to Henriettas and I had a nice chicken wrap. I said its quite good and now its on my Wikipedia page. But Im not in the leadership group Im just trying to get in the No.5 jersey for the Waratahs.

Dont believe everything you read.

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Tom Decent is a journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald

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Wikipedia fact or fiction with the Waratahs recruit who can bench press 200kg - Sydney Morning Herald

While people tend to contribute more to a virtual public good if they see others doing the same, this effect reverses if they become aware too many people are participating, according toresearch that I conducted over the summer.Public goods are things that many people share. They can be physical, such as highways, clean air and blood banks, or virtual, like free online encyclopedia Wikipedia or mobile traffic app Waze.

Combining methods from geography, urban planning and big-data analysis, my co-authors and I studied millions of postings by users of a mobile navigation app called Waze, in which users voluntarily post traffic-related updates and road conditions in real time. All users of the app benefit as more of them freely contribute information about traffic accidents and road closures. Economistsdescribe thisas contributing to a public good.

We found that displaying the density of users activities on Waze that is, real time information on how many people are on the app in ones geographic location can encourage participation from others in the area, just as it does in the real world. If you see a lot of people donating blood in your local neighborhood or many parents volunteering in your local school, it may motivate you to do the same.

But we also found evidence of a strong bystander effect that reverses this after a certain threshold is reached. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon that an individualslikelihood of engaging in a helpful actdecreases when bystanders are present in a critical situation. Paradoxically, our motivation to contribute to a public good could also decline when we see others doing something. For example, if you saw a lot of people donating blood, you may decide that they dont need your blood too.

The idea is thatpeople perceive less urgencyor motivation to help others when others are present, akin to a diffusion of responsibility.

With more public goods moving online for example, in-person pledge drives seeking charitable donationsnow happen through crowdfunding websitessuch as Kiva or GoFundMe its important to study how the motivations and behaviors of people change in a virtual setting.

Users motivation to contribute to public goods in the physical world depends on what is termed impure altruism, also known by economists as warm glow giving. That is, participation is heavily influenced by an individuals motives for public recognition.

My research shows that the same effects that happen in real life also seem to occur virtually, suggesting these online spaces should be designed in ways to overcome the bystander effect to encourage more participation. This can be done, for example, by offeringnonmonetary rewardsfor participation such as virtual badges or making it feel like a game.

Other researchers are also looking into how to influence the behavior of people in virtual spaces.

Some scholars suggest, for example, that participants in primarily digital environments needdigital nudgesandinterventionsto enhance a sense of community and create a shared sense of social self on these digital spaces. Studies from social question-and-answer sites in China seem to suggest thatcommitment toward the site, a shared language and shared visionseem to foster a sense of participation.

Other studies suggest that rather than viewing such online public good platforms in terms of the immediate needs of an information seeker, these platforms should be designed for theirlong-lasting valueto a community of users.

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People may be less likely to contribute to a virtual public good like Wikipedia or Waze if they know many others are already doing it Stuff - Stuff...

A long, long time ago, back in the first lockdown, you probably told yourself that now right this moment, in the middle of a pandemic was the perfect time to conceive, plot, write, revise, rewrite, complete and publish a novel which completely transformed what we thought it was possible to express in the English language.

It wasn't. Obviously it wasn't. You know that now. But even if it turned out a year-long period of isolation and anxiety actually wasn't much good for your inner David Foster Wallace, there's no bad time to start writing. It doesn't really matter if it goes anywhere. Just write something and see where you go.

To help you along, we asked 10 established and emerging writers for the rules of thumb they use to find ideas, to get words onto the page, and to turn an interesting first draft into something more substantial.

"So much of my writing process is in the not writing. I spend a lot of time following my interests, going down Google and YouTube rabbit holes, or immersed in photography books. I always have headphones on and find myself scribbling song lyrics in notebooks. Im most concerned with feeling and Im always trying to find ways to map and express those feelings. And what better way than to follow your curiosities, to pursue your loves? Writing, to a degree, is an act of love and should be treated accordingly."

Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water

"A collection of miscellanies may prove most interesting and thought-provoking some time later"

"Always keep a small notebook and a pen at hand. Any time you hear something interesting, or you have a fleeting thought, or even, you encounter a new word in a book that you don't know jot it down. A collection of miscellanies may prove most interesting and thought-provoking some time later."

Yiyun Li, author of books including Must I Go, Where Reasons End and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

"Keep it simple: complexity is the enemy. Task yourself narratively, eg 'Tomorrow I have to write a particular scene', rather than 'Tomorrow I must write 800 words'. Plot can be structured as: situation, complication, new equilibrium. And this applies to scenes as well as whole books: the new equilibrium is the hook for the next scene. Verbs are very important, thats where the action is. Metaphorise them if possible. Write: 'The red-haired man shouldered his way through the door'; not: 'The big-shouldered, red-haired man pushed through the door.'"

Giles Foden, author of books including Turbulence and The Last King of Scotland

"My advice is to use the 'random special' button on Wikipedia as a way to generate unusual ideas for fiction. When you press 'special random' it brings up a random but curated page from the hidden depths of Wikipedia. It might be a page about a grunge band from Vancouver or the World Alliance of Baptist Churches or perhaps Raimo Manninen, a Finnish alpine skier. Keep clicking 'special random' until you have two pages that interest you and then write a story that makes a connection between those pages. For example, it could be a story about a depressed skier who finds god in the mountains and decides to baptise himself in a hole in the ice of an Alpine lake. Or hopefully something better than that."

Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine, Wild Abandon and The Adulterants

"My writing advice would be: read your work out loud, even if you think it's finished; there'll always be something that can be said more simply, or in a clearer voice, especially if you're writing dialogue."

Paul Mendez, poet and author of Rainbow Milk

1. Your first thought is never your best thought. Its just your first.

2. Most of your ideas are banal. Dig deeper.

3. Go and find things out. Make a fetish of research. Most of the things worth hearing arent already sitting in your head.

4. Stop bothering people with your early drafts. Bother yourself with your early drafts.

5. Work every day. Its not an amateurs game.

Andrew O'Hagan, Esquire editor-at-large and author of books including Mayflies, The Illuminations and Our Fathers

"The trick to writing is to pretend there are no tricks"

The trick to writing is to pretend there are no tricks. I refuse to romanticise the process. If I did, insecurity would creep in. I would be too preoccupied with thinking, but can I do this? Am I a writer? No time for that. The more dramatic the process seems Oh I cannot write unless I am wearing my red beret! Oh I can only write before the sun is up! the more you slow yourself down. It is important, for me at least, to be able to write anywhere, under any circumstance. In your phone notes, in a lunch break, walking down the street. I never said those scraps of writing will be any good. (Although sometimes they are.) But youre flexing the muscle, building it, teaching yourself that writing is only an action. In other words: stop fucking around and get on with it.

Rebecca Watson, author of Little Scratch

"Epiphanies arent queued up politely in waiting rooms behind Word docs; theyre out in the world"

"If in doubt, get on with other things. Take the writing away from the page and let life work on it quietly for a bit. Walk, cook, hoover, call your mum, draw a picture, and you will unknowingly (or knowingly) be solving the problem, dismantling the cliche, refining the turn of phrase, finding the right word, and then you go back to the work, armed with this thinking youve been doing, and progress is made. Gather other things to bring to the page. Language, time, experience.

"The most significant creative breakthrough I ever had with my writing was standing in the Nando's toilet in Bromley changing my baby sons trousers after a nappy explosion. Epiphanies arent queued up politely in waiting rooms behind Word docs, theyre out in the world."

Max Porter, author of The Death of Francis Bacon, Lanny and Grief is the Thing with Feathers

"My advice would be: 1) establish a routine whereby you write for at least couple of hours each day; 2) keep going even when you feel uninspired; 3) when you're mid-flow don't think about how your work will be received; 4) when you've finished a draft DO think about it or, better still, find someone who will give you honest feedback; 5) be prepared to revise, revise and revise."

Blake Morrison, poet and author of The Executor, The Last Weekend and And When Did You Last See Your Father?

"Unfortunately this isnt a good time to ask for my advice precisely because its all going rather well at present. I'm not having to force myself to write; I just feel like doing it. How has this come about? I've really no idea but this rare and happy state of affairs is consistent with something Victor Hugo said on the subject (cant remember where): when you can write its easy, when you cant, its impossible."

Geoff Dyer, author of books including White Sands: Experiences from the Outside World, Another Great Day at Sea and Jeff in Venice

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How to Write a Novel, According to 10 Really Good Novelists - esquire.com

Wikipedia has become a source of reliable information for millions and in an Internet awash with unreliable sourcing, it has become a public good.

Journalism it has been said is the first draft of history, and if you want to find out more about how that popular expression came about, Wikipedia is the first entry that will give you further information.

In many ways, Wikipedia has also become the first draft of history. Its online community of unpaid editors keep it updated just as quick as, if not quicker than, journalists can get their stories out.

As the online encyclopedia turns 20 years old this month, its difficult to imagine that somehow the free service continues. It has now become an almost indispensable tool for researchers, students and journalists in addition to other passing users.

Teachers and university professors in the past would often warn or even chastise their students that they could not rely on Wikipedia. Its sources were shoddy or unreliable. It couldnt be fact-checked they bemoaned. And worse, how could lay, anonymous people, be trusted to write about history, politics, science, medicine, movies and so much more.

Yet now, perhaps secretly, there is likely not one teacher or professor that wouldnt use the site to look up cursory information, they may be even contributors.

Wikipedia even hosts a page Wikipedia is not a reliable source, where the page seeks to address its critics stating that because the site is a volunteer-run project there are bound to be mistakes and that it should not be considered a definitive source in and of itself.

Arguably any encyclopedia is a living and evolving body of information and by and large Wikipedia has been a reliable first point of contact.

It is not just in the realm of generalised information that Wikipedia has made its presence felt. Specialised areas of information like medicine have become a useful source of information with its pages viewed billions of times.

In a study looking at Wikipedia's influence in medicine, junior doctors in the US were found to use the site because of its convenience and access to information that was considered to be better and more up-to-date than what might be available in handbooks and textbooks.

Another study by the American university of MIT said, "Our research shows that scientists are using Wikipedia and that it is influencing how they write about the science that they are doing. Wikipedia isn't just a record of what's going on in science, it's actually helping to shape science."

More broadly Wikipedias rate of accuracy has been evaluated as being comparatively similar to Britannica, the most famous book-based encyclopedia.

So how does Wikipedia work?

As the fourth most visited website globally it is a surprisingly slim operation. Less than 450 people are officially employed by Wikipedia. Its the army of volunteers that makes the operation viable.

Anyone with an Internet connection can open an account and begin editing. But its not always as simple as that.

The length of time someone has been editing creates a system of reward and prominence amongst the online editorial Wikipedia community.

Over the years a 200,000 strong community of editors and ad-hoc contributors have grown to become the guardians of this publicly available repository of information.

Now the site boasts millions of pages in 300 languages and is accessed by more than a billion people every month.

The online encyclopedia has been called the last best place on the Internet, and given the polarisation and disinformation that has swamped vast areas of the web the site has withstood the test of time.

Its supposed weakness, that anyone could edit it, has become its enduring strength and those people now jealously guard it.

Source: TRT World

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How Wikipedia shaped the Internet in the last 20 years - TRT World