Wikipedia: The Wisdom and the Folly of Crowds

According to Google co-founder Sergey Brin, it's "one of the greatest triumphs of the Internet." But is Wikipedia all that it claims to be? The operating principle is that anybody can contribute, that a crowd of contributors can reach a consensus superior to what's handed down by designated experts. The risks are obvious, and as the site became vastly popular, it became more vulnerable to "virtual vandals." New rules were adopted, for accuracy and to protect reputations, but they discouraged contributors from helping to build "the wisdom of the crowd." We hear more about how Wikipedia actually works and whether it can continue to grow.