WikiWiki: The Power of Collaborative Content Development

Jon Udel has posted a fascinating multimedia demonstration of the power of collaborative editing and social sanctioning by exploring the life of a single Wikipedia topic over a two year period. Audio required.

Slightly more than halfway through the demo, Jon shows out how quickly and permanently acts of WikiVandalism and editorial impropriety are reversed, even in an obscure domain frequented by a rough and tumble community of heavy metal enthusiasts.

If you have doubts about the durability of the WikiWiki medium and the emergent social dynamic that makes it viable, this flash presentation could very well make you a true believer, like me.