Idea of Paid Entries Roils Wikipedia

[Capper]

BOSTON (AP) -- When a blogger revealed this week that Microsoft Corp. wanted to pay him to fix purported inaccuracies in technical articles on Wikipedia, the software company endured online slams and a rebuke from the Web encyclopedia's founder for behaving unethically.
The imbroglio will soon pass, but it raises a bigger question: Why is it so bad to pay someone to write something on Wikipedia?
The "free encyclopedia that anyone can edit" requires articles to have a "neutral point of view." But most contributors surely have some personal motivation to dive into a subject, whether it's adoration of "Star Trek" or a soft spot for geraniums.
What's to say contributors who get paid have a harder time sticking to the golden path of neutrality? And doesn't Wikipedia have a built-in defense mechanism - the swarms of volunteer editors and moderators who can quickly obliterate public-relations fluff, vanity pages and other junk?
That is precisely what ran through Gregory Kohs' mind last year when he launched MyWikiBiz, a service that offered to write Wikipedia entries for businesses for $49 to $99.
A market researcher in West Chester, Pa., Kohs believed that the corporate world was underrepresented in the sprawling Web encyclopedia, which is dense with obscure topics.
"It is strange that a minor Pokemon character will get a 1,200-word article, but a Fortune 500 company will get ... maybe 100 words," he said.

Wired AP News

[gvblake22]

WOW, that guy is a thinker! I am skeptical that Microsoft actually offered cash compensation to fix up their Wiki page, but that's a good idea to start up that kind of web business.

[Capper]

I just personally think its funny that Wikipedia brought some sort of morals to the argument. Wikipedia is trash, plain and simple.

[garetjax]

Originally Posted by Capper

I just personally think its funny that Wikipedia brought some sort of morals to the argument. Wikipedia is trash, plain and simple.

True that. After the latest debacle with Wiki trying to submit a HL page, I am a beleiver now.