Difference between revisions of "Wikispooks:Wikipedia+"

From Wikispooks
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (Text replacement - "mainstream media" to "corporate media")
 
(30 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{WpBadge}}
 
{{Work|This page - and the Wikipedia+ initiative itself - is a work-in-progress and testing is invited.<br/>The latest alpha version of the extension can be downloaded [https://wikispooks.com/WikipediaPlus/wikipediaPlus.0.6.3.xpi here] (Firefox only for now).<br/>To discuss/provide feedback, use this [[Special:EmailUser/Peter|Email form]] or the above discussion tab.
 
}}
 
'''Wikipedia+''' is an initiative based on a browser extension which augments Wikipedia pages with links to additional relevant information unlikely to be covered adequately, if at all, on [[Wikipedia]] itself. Wikispooks is a '''Wikipedia+''' - enabled site.
 
  
'''''Note:''' The Wikipedia+ initiative has affiliation whatever with the [http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Home Wikipedia Foundation].''
+
<div style="float:right;border-style: solid; border-width: 1px;  margin: 1em; z-index: 10; padding: 0.4em; margin-right:0px;">{{#widget:YouTube|id=a3Sq0vUxwrc}}<br/>[[User:Robin|Robin Upton]] explains Wikipedia+ at [http://events.ccc.de/congress/2011/wiki/Welcome 28C3], 2011-12-29</div>
<br/>
+
[[File:WP notification example.600x308.gif | frame | Ever fancy quick access to alternative viewpoints?  Let Wikipedia+ suggest them for you]]
 +
'''''Wikipedia+'' is a tool for Wikipedia users unhappy with only a single narrative.''' It is a Mozilla approved open source browser extension to augment your Wikipedia experience. It notes where you're browsing and silently checks the alternative websites you have chosen to see if they contain matching information. If so, Wikipedia+ pops up a notification containing links to the matching pages, so alternative points of view are only one click away.
  
 
==Rationale==
 
==Rationale==
[[Wikipedia]] is a vastly popular on-line encyclopedia. Anyone seeking information on any subject will find that links to a relevant and useful Wikipedia page will almost invariably appear in the first few results of any Google search. However, in common with all [[MSM | mainstream media]] sources, there is a well-established [[Project:The Problem with Wikipedia|problem with Wikipedia]]:
+
[[Wikipedia]] is in one sense a victim of its own success; it has effectively become a [[MSM | corporate media]] source, and as such it shares a [[Project:The Problem with Wikipedia|well-established bias]]. A wealthy few use their control of [[MSM | corporate media]] to systematically exclude certain opinions. This lack of publication in what Wikipedia refers to as 'reliable sources' in turn provides justification for their exclusion from Wikipedia, nullifying its potential as an independent voice. Wikipedia+ allows you to avoid this censorship by choosing to supplement your Wikipedia experience with automatic cross-references to sites you judge to be of interest (e.g. Wikispooks).
{{QB|
 
To the extent that a subject is judged threatening to established power and the widespread acceptance of '[[Project:Definitions|official narratives]]' of events, the reliability and ultimate accuracy of Wikipedia articles touching on it is likely to be compromised. At the extremes of power and perceived threat, Wikipedia's 'Neutral-Point-of-View' <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPOV Wikipedia 'Neutral point of view]</ref> principle pretty much guarantees that the compromise will be fundamental. (See [[Project:The Problem with Wikipedia|The Problem with Wikipedia]] for a fuller discussion)
 
}}
 
  
'''This is the problem that Wikipedia+ addresses.'''
+
==Technical Aspects==
 +
[[File:WP_in_status_bar.jpg | frame  | left | Wikipedia+ in the status bar in the bottom right]]
 +
* Wikipedia+ requires '''Mozilla Firefox''', version 4 or above.
 +
* The latest version is [http://www.wikipediaplus.org/wiki/Download available here].
 +
* By default, it is configured for ''Wikispooks'' users
 +
* When browsing Wikipedia, a notification bar will appear from time to time with links to Wikispooks or other sites of interest
  
==How Wikipedia+ works==
+
{{RED|* The add-on is ''not'' available for modern browsers, only old versions of Firefox}}
[[File:WP notification example.600x308.gif|frame|WikipediaPlus suggests alternative pages of interest to Wikipedia browsers]]
+
{{Template:Wikispooks Footer/Wikipedia+}}
'''Wikispooks''' and a number of other sites maintain indexes of Wikipedia pages whose subject matter renders them likely to suffer from the problem outlined above. The indexes contain links to additional information which is unlikely to be treated adequately, if at all, on corresponding Wikipedia pages.
+
<!--
 
+
==References==
Whenever a wikipedia plus user browses to a Wikipedia page, the '''page name''' is looked up on the alternate sites they have chosen. If it exists there, a notification pops up with links to the corresponding pages on the other sites.
+
<references/>
 
 
<!-- PUT THIS SOMEWHERE ELSE, SINCE IT IS A SECONDARY CONSIDERATION, AND AT THIS STAGE, PEOPLE WANT A SIMPLE SINGLE HIT.
 
If the extension does NOT pop the message bar, it indicates that additional information relevant to the current Wikipedia page is NOT currently available (or rather not currently indexed as being available) on the alternative sites list. In this circumstance you have the option of creating an appropriate index page on one or more of the alternative sites, by clicking the extension status-bar icon and selecting the required site. <ref>'''Note:''' Wikispooks requires users to complete a [[Project:Registered User Undertakings|registration process]] before index or other page editing/creation is possible. Other Wikipedia+ enabled sites will have their own individual requirements.</ref>
 
 
-->
 
-->
  
==Users==
+
[[Category:Wikipedia+]]
Users may value the alternative perspectives they receive from Wikipedia+. It searches in the background, and only makes suggestions when it has found a result of potential interest.
 
 
 
===Requirements===
 
Wikipedia Plus currently requires '''Mozilla Firefox''', versions 3 to 5 inclusive.
 
* Download the latest alpha version [https://wikispooks.com/WikipediaPlus/wikipediaPlus.0.6.3.xpi here].
 
[[File:WP_in_status_bar.jpg | frame | WikipediaPlus installs discretely to the status bar in the bottom right]]
 
 
 
===Installation===
 
*'''Firefox versions 4 & 5:''' Select Tools/add-ons on the browser menu. From the drop-down box next to the search box at the top of the page, select "Install add-on from File....". Browse to the downloaded .XPI file and select it. You will be presented with a window warning you to ''"Install add-ons only from author whom you trust"'' and detailing the extension name and file selected.  Click the "Install Now" button. The extension should install and you will be prompted to restart your browser.
 
 
 
*'''Firefox version 3:''' Select Tools/add-ons on the browser menu. A dialogue window will appear. Drag and drop the .XPI file to the window. You will be prompted to proceed/cancel the installation. Following installation a browser restart is required to use the extension.
 
 
 
===Setup===
 
After successful installation the extension icon and status will be present on the browser status bar (bottom-right).
 
*Clicking on the text toggles enabling/disabling of the extension with the current status indicated by text and text colour.
 
*Clicking on the icon will pop-up the '''WikipediaPlus Preferences''' dialogue window. The window comprises 3 tabs plus OK/Cancel buttons.
 
The '''Options''' and '''About''' tabs are self explanatory and intuitive. The '''Sites''' tab usage is as follows:
 
*There is a set of reasonably intuitive navigation, information and editing buttons to the right.
 
*The window contains a list of default site names and their corresponding url's.
 
Selecting one of the list items and clicking on the pencil icon to the right, or clicking on the right-hand + icon brings up a dialogue allowing editing of the selected site or entry of a new site. The dialogue is fairly self-explanatory.
 
 
 
==Webmasters==
 
The tool suits any websites whose material complements the perspectives on Wikipedia, whether because it directly contradicts it, or simply because it contains more detail than is contained on Wikipedia.
 
 
 
===Requirements===
 
Making a site ready for Wikipedia+ is a pretty straightforward task, as it doesn't require changing any existing pages. The first step is to choose a URL pattern by which Wikipedia+ can query the site, e.g. fir this site, it is <font face="courier">http://www.wikispooks.com/wiki/{PageName}</font> This is requested by the browser add-in, with ''{PageName}'' replaced by the name of a Wikipedia page. It must return a 404 (Page Not Found) code unless a page is matching available.
 
 
 
==Contacts==
 
*[http://www.wikipediaplus.org WikipediaPlus.org web site]
 
*[http://www.wikipediaplus.org/wiki/First_100_Sites The first 100 sites wikipedia+ ready sites]
 
 
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 

Latest revision as of 18:29, 14 December 2023


Robin Upton explains Wikipedia+ at 28C3, 2011-12-29
Ever fancy quick access to alternative viewpoints? Let Wikipedia+ suggest them for you

Wikipedia+ is a tool for Wikipedia users unhappy with only a single narrative. It is a Mozilla approved open source browser extension to augment your Wikipedia experience. It notes where you're browsing and silently checks the alternative websites you have chosen to see if they contain matching information. If so, Wikipedia+ pops up a notification containing links to the matching pages, so alternative points of view are only one click away.

Rationale

Wikipedia is in one sense a victim of its own success; it has effectively become a corporate media source, and as such it shares a well-established bias. A wealthy few use their control of corporate media to systematically exclude certain opinions. This lack of publication in what Wikipedia refers to as 'reliable sources' in turn provides justification for their exclusion from Wikipedia, nullifying its potential as an independent voice. Wikipedia+ allows you to avoid this censorship by choosing to supplement your Wikipedia experience with automatic cross-references to sites you judge to be of interest (e.g. Wikispooks).

Technical Aspects

Wikipedia+ in the status bar in the bottom right
  • Wikipedia+ requires Mozilla Firefox, version 4 or above.
  • The latest version is available here.
  • By default, it is configured for Wikispooks users
  • When browsing Wikipedia, a notification bar will appear from time to time with links to Wikispooks or other sites of interest

* The add-on is not available for modern browsers, only old versions of Firefox

Wikispooks logo.png Policy.png Wikispooks to do.png Tools2.png SMW.png Help.png