Thursday 22 March 2012

I just did something really cool! I found a stub-class article on Wikipedia and edited it to create a more informative article! The article is on Blackleg, a bacterial infection that mostly affects cattle and sheep. I found it strange that there was almost no information on this on Wikipedia, since it occurs regularly all over the world, and is a huge problem to producers because it is almost invariably fatal. The disease has some really interesting features and clinical presentations, which is why I decided to further research this and share my knowledge with others.

I have to say, I feel a little proud to be able to tell people that I contributed to such a widely used source of information. I am sure my article will be read by many, as this is such a common disease, which makes me feel as though I have been of assistance to these info-seekers. I know now that I might be able to help farmers, students and veterinarians in their search for information on Blackleg. I don't know about you, but I think that this is so much more useful than writing some paper for a class, only to get shredded at the end of the term! Here's a screenshot I took of the page:


The information movement is catching on quickly in terms of free online resources such as Wikipedia. Anyone can view information placed here, which is a fantastic way to share ideas with the general public. And anyone is allowed to edit as well, which means a whole world's worth of information can be shared. It gives a sense of community and being connected, I find. It seems that others feel the same way. A fellow student reported on Dourine, a disease in horses I knew virtually nothing about! I'm glad we were both able to contribute to such an important cause. I would certainly do this again, if I found more stubs I potentially knew something about!

1 comment:

  1. Being a cow/calf producer myself I really enjoyed reading your blog post on blackleg and the lack of information on Wikipedia on the topic. Having more information available about common disease in the cattle industry like blackleg allows for easier access for the general public to educate themselves or for producers to gather more information on the disease. Great blog post on making this issue public!

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