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[OT] Idea: Wiki profiles?

DPic [PersonRank 10]

Friday, December 14, 2007
16 years ago3,413 views

So i started thinking, what if wikipedia created a separate project just for biographies? Then i started thinking, what if wikipedia could get into social networking by doing something that's never been done before-- letting your profile be created by your friends???

Then i thought that might be *too* revolutionary to actually work. People right now want to be able to say what they want to about themselves. So here's the idea: what if a social networking site, like orkut, created an alternate profile for each user, that was maintained by friends? Do you think there's a way for this to work? I know, there are a lot of ways it wouldn't work (like just making it completely open-ended), but how *could* it work?

Colin Colehour [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Why not have something in orkut or (insert your favorite social network platform) that had a certain area(s) that could be edited by a select list of friends. That way its not abused by strangers and wouldn't be considered just a comment system.

GoogleTrader [PersonRank 1]

16 years ago #

Yeah I think the privacy advocates would have a field day with that. Not so sure how I feel about people I know making my profile for me.

DPic [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Do the people you know not like you? haha

[put at-character here]Colin yeah, but since profile pages are generally full enough as it is, a separate page for that might work better

Colin Colehour [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Well I used the phrase select list of friends because I have several bands listed as friends but they aren't really friends, I just like their music and its an easy way to know things about when they are touring etc. So I wouldn't want these bands plastering crap all over a profile page saying 'buy my new album' or things like that.

DPic [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

That's why google should have separate profiles for bands, groups, websites, etc. like facebook pages

Martin Porcheron [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Spock is pretty close to Wiki profiles.

http://www.spock.com/

Colin Colehour [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

You could say Zoominfo.com is similar than too if you think Spock is pretty close.

http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/PersonDetail.aspx?PersonID=1032641718&QueryID=9960adb6-9939-4aca-93db-07d2ffa3409d

Zim [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

It's a nice idea, if that problem can be solved...
However, there's another problem! How do you authenticate yourself?
I can say I'm Bill Gates or John Lenon. Who know who I am really?
When I think about this bio-wiki, I think about genealogy too. A big tree with a lot of connections... it would be great to connect people that way!

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Wikipedia is almost there, if only they'd allow you to create an article on truly anything, including non-famous people. Right now, they will mostly delete biographies on non-famous people. (But maybe if Wikipedia would allow any article to be created they would also spread their energy too thin... e.g. the PageRank pages get, and the editing attention pages get...)

DPic [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Well, biologies are fery long and detailed. And even wikipedia's articles on famous people i wounldn't call biographies. My idea is for social networking profiles

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Mostly just for fun: http://blogoscoped.com/egobrowser/

DPic [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

Maybe Google could add wiki profiles to Orkut as an application?

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

didn't you get the Yahoo mash invite I sent you a while back Danny? It's exactly like what you described except you can edit it too. Intact the invites say "James has created a profile for you, click here to claim it!"

DPic [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

but yahoo sucks... haha

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

:D Thats a bit prejudiced but,yeah I agree

Colin Colehour [PersonRank 10]

16 years ago #

There are a couple of Genealogy wiki's around that allow for articles to be written up on anyone.

http://genealogy.wikia.com/wiki/Arthur_Ernest_Smith_%281901-1969%29

Granted these are meant more for articles on your ancestors.

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