Something Wiki’d This Way Comes
I’ve had an interesting journey this past week or so which began, as most journeys do, unexpectedly.
In my professional work, one of my functions is in investigating how to integrate newer knowledge management technologies in ways that are unique within our business (which isn’t to say that it’s always ‘cutting edge’ technology, but sometimes it is). One of these technologies I decided to do a bit deeper dive into recently was with some targeted wiki’s. So, the first place I started was the public wikipedia. Because I work with some technophobes, I was trying to evaluate some of the “user-friendliness” of basic functions, which led me to play around with editing pages (without saving them) and looking at the content management processes around them.
I’m sure you’re probably yawning by now, as I was starting to, when I read a comment on CRN.Info that caught my attention:
Ken (Silva) says: “I was flattered to see that the Lord has seen fit for Apprising Ministries to show up on the Wikipedia entry for Emergent Church Pastor Rob Bellâ€
So I went to the Rob Bell page, and it looked like this (without the stuff at the top). So, I made a few quick edits just to put my toe in the water without changing too much. Then, I ended up getting busy with some other things, and forgot about my wiki experiment for several days.
December 15th, 2007 at 5:47 am
I do not believe you will receive a Christmas card from Ken this year. I read the entire narrative and as always I am in envy of those whose left brain can traverse the internet while guys like me rejoice in recognizing the alphabet on the keyboard. Â
And by the way, Chris, I need my pharmaceuticals to be reliable so do not neglect your day job!
December 15th, 2007 at 8:47 am
I thought the comment about my “day job” was funny, too. It’s not like there aren’t programs (”bots”) that can inform you when pages you have on your “watch list” have been changed. (sheesh)
My job is cyclical between lots of team meetings & research and periods of documentation and reading. I’m currently in the latter cycle, which means I’m on the PC a lot more than usual, so I head a “ding” every time I get mail, and after enough “dings”, I check it…
December 15th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Rick,
As to the whole “day job” comment of his (which did give a chuckle), almost all of actual writing, etc. stuff was done last weekend and in the wee hours of the morning. I have seasonal depression which keeps me up late into the night when it gets cold and grey and the days are short. He was primarily the victim of hitting me when I was awake and ready to be awake for a long time…
December 15th, 2007 at 11:21 am
The reason I have the time to comment is obvious, the residual benefit of being sick. God has been good to me though and so I say to all:
Praise to the God-Child! (merry christmas)
December 15th, 2007 at 11:37 am
Haha, I never read Wiki. I’ve never seen Rob wear a Nelson Mendella shirt in the shed. Ever.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Merry Christmas boyz!
December 15th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I celebrated “Christmas” on September 13th.
December 15th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Chris,
Wait, the guy that was messing with you at Wiki was Ken Silva? I couldn’t understand if it was the law student at Liberty or if it was Ken Silva. Your article seemed to operate under the both assumptions.
December 15th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Sorry - For awhile I thought “Gump” was Silva (from the whole “tsk, tsk,” thing and the refusal to converse), until he slipped into h4×0r-speak, and then sent me his homepage link, where he identified himself as a LU student…
December 15th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
I ended up having to scrub Brian McLaren and Dan Kimball’s pages, too, to make them Silva-free…
December 15th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Interesting….
So it is ok on wikipedia to de-fame the dead but not the living. If blogs are not reputable sources, that may come as a surprise to the well known and accredited political bloggers and scholars.
This is actually an organized effort, behind the secenes of course, by a bunch of presumptious people. The foolish lawsuit threat, which by the way only Mr. Jones could initiate, not his disgruntled spouse being part of this
I am truly waiting for private investigators being hired; so to pre-empt that I will have my wife post all my wrongdoings from 1984-85 when I became Christian.
Let’s see censorship, threats, subtrefuge……
Meet the neo-odmer’s.
Hey did McClaren, Kimball, and Bell thank you for this?
December 15th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Chris P.
You need to up your med’s
December 15th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
My goodness.
From looking at the dates (back to May 29 2007) on that discussion page, it looks like “Gump” has been at it for a while.
Wow.
December 15th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Chris,
Actually, the standards on wikipedia for biographies of dead folks don’t allow blogs either, but allow slightly more criticism (as the dead don’t threaten to sue nearly as often as the living).
Wiki is an encyclopedia that strives to maintain a Neutral Point of View (NPOV), and not as a launching point for people with axes to grind. Blogs have no editorial control on content, and (as Ken has proven), you don’t need to really know what you’re talking about in order to blog about it. And so yes, even accredited political bloggers and scholars cannot have their material considered “sourced” information unless it has been published in a peer-reviewed publication or in the public media (though, e-zines, newsletters, church publications, etc. don’t count as “public media”).
No thanks necessary - just watchin’ the back of a brother…
December 15th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
The nursery rhyme tells us what little boys and little girls are made of, but what are Chris P purpose driven drive-by comments made of?
Let’s take a look:
One part modernism.
One part paranoia, and one part personal attacks.
One part McCarthy-esque guilt by association tactics, and another part of paranoia.
Add epic amounts of bitterness and season to taste.
December 15th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Chris P,
I find it interesting that even with Wikipedia’s (low) standards for being factual…
1. Ken was proud we was honored to be mentioned.
2. Ken’s research (now delegated to be only “opinions”) are not even considered to be quality enough to be considered high enough standard to be used.
So, say what you will, but the only thing that seems to have come out of this is that Ken is more enamored by his own name than honoring Jesus and you being the semi-pelagian, man loving, purpose driven guy you really are, seem to back him in all his vain imaginations of himself.
I agree with Joe, up your meds…
iggy
December 15th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Please let it be known, my blog has now been approved as an authoritative research source. Feel free to reference FJL on Wikipedia because the council was not able to identify any errors.
It is hard being perfect, I leave myself open for criticism!
December 15th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Now I know how Wikipedia works. Pretty interesting.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Ken,
2 questions for ya!
1) Did you proofrede [sic] the Wiki article?
2) Did you notice that you are still mentioned there?
Merry Christmas to you also!
December 15th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Wait. You mean to tell me that not everything on the internet is true? I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked.
That’s it, I’m suing Al Gore!
December 15th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Phil: For the record, here in Oklahoma, we don’t think Al Gore knows SQUAT about global warming…especially after the week we’ve had! 8^)>
December 15th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
“I ended up having to scrub Brian McLaren and Dan Kimball’s pages, too, to make them Silva-free… ”
Thank you for the laugh of the day. I arrived home from the hospital and your comment gave me a laugh!
December 15th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Chris L,
Your work on this is probably the most profitable effort I have yet seen of protecting the innocent (Wikipedia readers) and the misrepresented from the likes of watchdoggies. (Not that this site and other stuff isnt’ valuabe.) Very well done.
December 15th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Plus 50 points for a way cool post title!!
December 15th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Now the day job part was OK, but I thought THIS one was the gem, Chris.
Emergent hippies/non-Jewish WASPs
I don’t think your desk is big enough for all your titles!! (grins)
December 15th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Ok,I’m starting to feel left out. Where are you guys getting these quotes?
December 15th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Scotty, you missed the part where Chris L is described as a “middle-aged parent” and not being the “brightest crayon in the box”.
you can’t make this stuff up.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Joe - Gump’s quotes are primarily on the Rob Bell discussion page, though there’s some on the Arbitration page and on the page where I put in a request to ban him from editing Rob’s page.
Here’s a fun tidbit - On Brian McLaren’s page, someone went back in and took several tries to add in a link to one of Ken’s articles on McL, and then (possibly in a fit of conscience - or a desire to not get her wrist slapped by wikipedia) took it back off. She was an anonymous user, 72.196.208.16, but a quick cross reference identified her as “Renee” who has graced our comments section a couple of times with pretty much the same cliche here and here.
You can see the (attempted) changes on the history page here.
Priceless.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Actually it;s back, I wanted to post the right link to the article..
You can go back to scouring Wikipedia and wasting your time now children
I’ll add more for you if you need something to do
December 15th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Actually, Renee, it’s not - it lasted all of 60 seconds…
December 15th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Chris L,
Just think if people like Renee put all this energy in getting the Gospel out!
Sad really.
iggy
December 15th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
True, Iggy, but then perhaps slander IS their gospel…
December 15th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Yawn…
.. a lot of Gospel here I see…
bye kiddies
December 16th, 2007 at 3:48 am
My question is why does anyone who supports Ken allow him to continue in his sin?
And those that write for CRN distance themselves from Ken?
I think that 1 Corinthians 5:11 has much to say about how we need handle slanderers and even the other writers at CRN constantly state things like “I am not responsible for what Ken Silva writes”.
Also, “slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:10) is what I have been trying to get through to Ken for some time, but he will not even talk to me or anyone about his slandering of others… and so continues in his sin while many on his side stand around and condone it while distancing themselves from him.
is that enough “Gospel” for ya? = )
iggy