Logbot (Nov 26 2025 at 19:30): Logbot (Nov 26 2025 at 19:30):Let's hear how Wikipedia actually works from long-time Wikipedian, Bill Buetler! Bill has been heavily involved with this "8th wonder of the modern world" for two decades and even built a career on it, founding Buetler Ink –a digital agency known for its pioneering work in Wikipedia public relations.
We discuss: the official (and not so official) rules, the editor cabal (which isn't one), the business model (which really isn't one), how an edit sticks (or not), how AI chatbots threaten the future of the site (or don't), and a whole lot more. :link: https://changelog.fm/668
| Ch | Start | Title | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 00:00 | Welcome to The Changelog | 01:22 |
| 02 | 01:22 | Sponsor: Tiger Data | 01:37 |
| 03 | 02:59 | Start the show! | 01:27 |
| 04 | 04:26 | A Wikipedian | 03:37 |
| 05 | 08:03 | Policies and guidelines | 03:44 |
| 06 | 11:48 | Wikipedia PR | 04:29 |
| 07 | 16:17 | How much is too much | 01:21 |
| 08 | 17:38 | There Is No Cabal | 03:45 |
| 09 | 21:23 | Consultipedia | 02:32 |
| 10 | 23:55 | Political leanings | 04:41 |
| 11 | 28:36 | The 6th pillar | 02:45 |
| 12 | 31:21 | Sponsor: Augment Code | 01:36 |
| 13 | 32:57 | AI reads the wiki | 05:51 |
| 14 | 38:47 | Jerod's failed edits | 01:55 |
| 15 | 40:42 | Please donate | 05:41 |
| 16 | 46:23 | The next generation | 03:08 |
| 17 | 49:31 | More than a job | 00:40 |
| 18 | 50:11 | Verifiability | 07:04 |
| 19 | 57:15 | Sponsor: Depot | 02:46 |
| 20 | 1:00:01 | Sponsor: Framer | 01:51 |
| 21 | 1:01:52 | Bill's failed edits | 01:03 |
| 22 | 1:02:54 | Adam clicks twice | 03:10 |
| 23 | 1:06:04 | Bro, do you even wiki? | 02:18 |
| 24 | 1:08:22 | Open edit requests | 01:14 |
| 25 | 1:09:37 | Edit bait | 00:59 |
| 26 | 1:10:36 | Bad actors | 02:39 |
| 27 | 1:13:15 | How a page is born | 03:26 |
| 28 | 1:16:41 | Wiki PR cabal | 01:51 |
| 29 | 1:18:32 | Wikinomics | 06:20 |
| 30 | 1:24:52 | The Notability Company | 05:26 |
| 31 | 1:30:18 | Earned media | 05:17 |
| 32 | 1:35:35 | Jerod finds a falsehood | 03:32 |
| 33 | 1:39:07 | Bill throws us an edit | 02:51 |
| 34 | 1:41:58 | Bad source beats no source | 03:15 |
| 35 | 1:45:12 | Wrapping up | 01:55 |
| 36 | 1:47:07 | Closing thoughts (join ++) | 01:49 |
Daniel Buckmaster (Nov 27 2025 at 22:44):I'm only halfway through this, but wanted to jump in and say - the discussion about getting a divorce record updated on a page was super interesting. I'm glad you guys "double clicked" on that. It's the kind of detail that really makes these kinds of chats worthwhile! If I wanted the skimmed-over, summarised, staying-out-of-the-weeds version I could just, I dunno, find a Medium article :joy:
Daniel Buckmaster (Nov 28 2025 at 06:56):Ayyyy and there's the edit :grinning: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eugen_Rochko&diff=1323127336&oldid=1323069943
Daniel Buckmaster (Nov 28 2025 at 06:59):I wondered, with your discussion about that correction - should it not be easy to make an edit like this and say "the cited source does not say or support that they're from Twitter and Github?" you guys did get to that by the end ("you can't prove a negative", and the burden of evidence being on the original editor), but I was left wondering about that whole idea. It's especially salient in this brave new world where AIs confidently assert things, and now link to a source... that doesn't support what they just asserted. (Of course people do this all the time too, but in less automated fashion!)
Tim Uckun (Nov 30 2025 at 05:47):I am way behind in my listening due to being on vacation but I find Wikipedia very biased in political topics especially on the Israel/Palestine issue. It's very frustrating.
I don't know how to cure this problem but one day I am hoping there will be a truly unbiased non human intelligence at work doing the moderation. Not being a human will theoretically it will be free from religious, ethnic, racial, or otherwise political bias.
Daniel Buckmaster (Nov 30 2025 at 06:06):I think we risk going down some very deep rabbit holes, but... Where will such an entity get all its undeniably true factual data from?
Ron Waldon-Howe (Nov 30 2025 at 06:39):there's always grokipedia, for folks that want a different bias :P
Ron Waldon-Howe (Nov 30 2025 at 06:52):there was a device in one of the Stargate SG-1 movies that would force you to know the truth ...
what a concept
they used it to defeat a race of galaxy-dominating aliens, who were brainwashing people into believing they were gods
Last updated: Dec 16 2025 at 01:26 UTC