Extra Credit Post

Article "Social Software and the Politics of Groups" Week 5

I personally liked this article because is applies to my final project nicely. Online games is like a large, undirected chat room with options to emote in 3D, or send snail mail. This article shows me that social software is unique to the internet. The concept that we don't have to be in the same space or time to communicate fluidly has introduced new social patterns. For example, if you hanging out with some friends at the mall and you aren't having fun, you can't just leave but if you are online with them it's really easy to quit communication.

The only good experience I can think of with cool social software is Wikipedia. It's like a big encyclopedia created by everyone. At first the idea of anyone and everyone able to say whatever they like seems like failure is enevitable but Wikipedia works. It's kinda like how scholarly work is read by other scholars in the field and accepted or rejected.

My question:
* Is the trend of social software like Wikipedia going to surpass the conventional knowledge?