HI Pier--

A wiki is not meant to be a substitute for hands-on training, or even a 
good text.  But it can work well in a "continuing education" type of 
role--point people to relevant publications and a place to post the tips 
and tricks that make stuff work but somehow never get in the paper.  It 
can also be a sort of an Isogeochem list serve FAQ site.  Perhaps a 
"virtual center".  Yes, it will need members of the community to adopt 
sections of it to keep things in order--but that's still a little ways 
off yet.  We'll have to see how it goes and how Art, Anthony, et al. 
mold it.

take care

gerry

Pier de Groot wrote:

> Dear Jason,
>
> Sorry to say that I am quite sceptical about statistics. Probably with 
> same type of tests one can prove that the one is worse than the other 
> – depends just on which, and which number of entries is chosen (you 
> quote a relatively small number of 42; out of thousands of entries?!?).
> To my opinion you better go to learn things in an experienced 
> laboratory before setting up one yourself. Learning this from an 
> encyclopedia is not the right way as I see it... That is for me like 
> learning to fly from a book.
>
> Best,
> Pier.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From: *"Jason B. West" <[log in to unmask]>
> *Reply-To: *Stable Isotope Geochemistry <[log in to unmask]>
> *Date: *Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:25:05 -0600
> *To: *<[log in to unmask]>
> *Subject: *Re: [ISOGEOCHEM] Isotope wiki
>
> Wiki-isogeochemers might be interested in the Nature piece that 
> compared the Encyclopaedia Britannica to Wikipedia. See: 
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html
>
> A quote from the original article:
>
> "The exercise revealed numerous errors in both encyclopaedias, but 
> among 42 entries tested, the difference in accuracy was not 
> particularly great: the average science entry in Wikipedia contained 
> around four inaccuracies; Britannica, about three."
>
> The response from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Nature's response to 
> the response can also be found on Nature's website. The take-home I 
> think is that mature Wiki's can be incredibly useful resources, but of 
> course should be viewed as sources with accuracy that can be compared 
> to Encyclopedias. I wouldn't start a lab based only on what I could 
> find in the Encyclopedia, but if I knew nothing about a topic I might 
> start there.
>
> Best,
> Jason
>
> Pier de Groot wrote:
>
>
>     Hi Arthur and others,
>
>     I very much appreciate your initiative to start this up. However,
>     having
>     said so, I have one major worry, that is who will control the
>     wiki? It is
>     well known that the most popular wiki, the Wikopedia, contains
>     quite some
>     mistakes, wrong descriptions, etc. If not 'garded' and 'checked',
>     this might
>     raise some serious problems for your wiki.
>     Besides, the argument that those who earn their money as consultant or
>     independent technician, or manufacturers (they have support
>     services and
>     probably are not too eager to put on much info) will not volunteer to
>     co-operate with such a wiki. But that does not mean it cannot be
>     set up, of
>     course.
>
>     My opinion is to have it started and see where it is leading to.
>     But info
>     must be considered with care and not just taken for granted.
>     My support you have...
>
>     Best,
>     Pier.
>     ****************************************************************
>     Delta Isotopes Consultancy
>
>     Dr. Pier A. de Groot
>     Pastoor Moorkensstraat 16
>     2400 Mol - Achterbos
>     Belgium
>     Tel. +32 (0)14 326 205
>     e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
>
>     Associate editor for stable isotopes of eEarth on-line magazine
>     http://www.electronic-earth.net
>
>     Visit my WEB-site about my ³Handbook of Stable Isotope Analytical
>     Techniques², with a link to the Elsevier web site on the handbook
>     (marked:
>     ŒOrder Now¹):
>     http://users.pandora.be/handbook/index.html
>     last update: August 15, 2005
>     Volume I is now available. Volume II is expected to be available
>     second half
>     of 2006.
>
>     ****************************************************************
>     Why we are searching for extraterrestrial intelligence
>     While we lack it so much on Earth?
>
>     ****************************************************************
>
>
>
>
>       
>      
>
>
>         From: Arthur T Kasson <[log in to unmask]>
>         <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>         Reply-To: Stable Isotope Geochemistry
>         <[log in to unmask]> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>         Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:14:23 -0400
>         To: <[log in to unmask]> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>         Subject: Re: [ISOGEOCHEM] Isotope wiki
>
>         Attention Isogeochemers:
>
>         With the help of a few people, we have started what we hope
>         will become an
>         informative isotope wiki including links for troubleshooting
>         front ends,
>         performing maintenance on various types of IRMS, problem
>         solving tips,
>         etc.
>
>         In order to make this work we need your help.  This is a
>         pretty big
>         venture and requires help from all avenues of the isotope
>         community
>         including established research labs, IRMS manufacturers, labs
>         that already
>         have established troubleshooting protocols for specific front
>         ends and/or
>         IRMS, front end and consumable vendors, etc.
>
>         My hope is that if everyone does a little bit then we could
>         have a very
>         viable resource for these types of issues.  Of course this
>         will be a
>         resource that goes hand in hand with the Isogeochem listserve
>         and web
>         site.
>
>         You can view the wiki at the following url:
>
>         http://isogeochem.wikispaces.com/
>
>         Please realize that the wiki is in it's early stages and we
>         were mainly
>         just testing out these pages by adding pictures, text and so
>         forth.
>
>         I am going to try sending a mass invitation out to the list
>         that will
>         allow you to signup and begin any editing.  Feel free to edit
>         existing
>         categories or create new categories.  Since the wiki is only
>         accessed by
>         members that have been invited, it is possible for anyone on
>         that list to
>         do the editing.  The next step is to figure out a way to
>         police our own
>         site to verify the accuracy of the edits (ex. information
>         related to a
>         particular piece of equipment could be verified by the company
>         that makes
>         it).  This issue is up for discussion.
>
>         Let me know if you have any questions.
>
>         Sincerely,
>
>         Art Kasson
>
>         -- 
>         Art Kasson
>         Cornell Isotope Laboratory
>         Dept Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
>         E440 Corson Hall
>         Tower Road
>         Ithaca NY 14853 USA
>         Phone: 607.254.1382
>         Fax: 607.255.8088
>         COIL website
>         http://www.cobsil.com
>         Isogeochem website
>         http://www.isogeochem.com
>
>             
>          
>
>
>
>       
>
>
> -- 
> ________________________________
>
>  Jason B. West
>  Research Assistant Professor
>  Department of Biology
>  University of Utah
>
>  Ph: 801.587.3404
>  Fax: 801.581.4665
>  Email: [log in to unmask]
>
>  http://isoscapes.org
> ________________________________
>