<CPOV> ??watching = rating??

[Niesyto, Johanna]

Hello everyone,

in line with the Swiss wikibu project (http://www.wikibu.ch/about.php), the German project wikiwatch -- started by the Europa Universitaet Viadrina -- went online with a beta-version. The project strives to evaluate Wikipedia content based on criteria such as number of source references or number of inlinks from other Wikpedia articles (http://blog.wiki-watch.de/?p=80) The project seems to like the idea of transparency by offering statistical background information and a rating scale. In the German language Wikipedia:Kurier, reactions to the project are rather sceptical from doubting the validity of the rating scale to feeling negatively criticised by the project's name 'watch'.

In my view, the project contributes like any other Wikipedia or non-Wikipedia tool to an understanding of Wikipedia articles and article (co)production in statistical terms while the idea of 'media watching' implies much more. I might sound old-fashioned but in terms of public watching transparency-, validity- and orientation-giving cannot not be reduced to a rating and like-culture. What is needed are not only statistical tools but a vivid public discussion.

The project's Website (de): http://www.wiki-watch.de/
Reactions in Wikipedia:Kurier (de): http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Kurier

Bests
Johanna