wikipedia.... the ultimate web 2.0 tool.

I have switched gears recently and decided that world leaders and their interaction are very often documented by web 2.0 applications. A common and often overlooked function is Wikipedia.org. This is a free encyclopedia which is constantly being updated and edited by thousands of volunteers worldwide. Wikipedia.org seems to be the LeBron of web 2.0 tools receiving 684 million viewers last year!
Power is what makes the world go round. World leaders can make the world ponder the influence of power. With the introduction of web 2.0 to the masses some years ago tools such as Wikipedia have offered a valuable source of information. For instance when a user searches for any powerful world leader they get an array of background information that is otherwise not known to the reader. This is of utmost importance as politics is a game of context and timing. One may never understand the way decision are made in present day without taking a look at the history of the subject. Wikipedia allows a user to quickly understand any topic, idea or world leader with the click of a button and has completely revolutionized learning in a web 2.0 world.
Wikipedia got its name from two different stems one being “wiki” and the other being “encyclopedia.” This unique term coined as “Wikipedia” is a transition from the ordinary “encyclopedia” to a new era web based application which incorporates collaboration for a higher standard of information. Wikipedia has been around since 2001 and is a online search portal created for optimal search experience. It is extremely user friendly in its setup of collaborative knowledge. Growing into one of the top reference websites throughout the world wide web Wikipedia is commonly referred to as a “life saver.”

You can use Wikipedia in a multitude of manners from quick searches to linking of terms. For example if you search for arguably the most powerful person in the world today, Barack Obama, a profile of the 44th president of the United States pops up. It breaks the page up into 9 great sections. Starting with an introduction on top and then detailed subheadings to follow. From his early life to his political career, including pictures, political opinions, family life and cultural videos. The profile for Barack is so extensive that it includes notes on the bottom half of the page to reference the information above as well as suggested further reading. It is remarkable how much knowledge one may obtain from a single web page.

In relation to world politics and analyzing power positions throughout the world Wikipedia plays a tremendous role. It allows a reader of a blog, news article, book reader etc. to add context to the information presented on the other medium of information. Context is perhaps the most important aspect of power. With Wikipedia answers are instant and within 5 minutes a topic can become familiarized and makes it appear as if you were the class nerd. It ultimately makes history a heck of a lot easier to understand without digging through piles of text. The last function Wikipedia does the best is provide further reading and links to sources for additional information. When an individual uses such an application research becomes easy and enjoyable. Politics is extremely complex but web 2.0 tools such as Wikipedia are making the world spin a lot faster and knowledge is flowing with the edit of a volunteer.