Never Completely Trust Wikipedia

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

My publisher, who is also a graphic artist, created the cover for Rocamora by combining-morphing several 17th century portraits. I was surfing and found this recent Wiki entry, which used our cover for the portrait of the subject below.

Jerónimo de Rocamora y Desprats de Thomás - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

Don Allen · Feb 15, 2009

Wow!,,, how do you feel about that????

Bartholomew · Feb 15, 2009

Me confusa. ¿Cuál es el problema?

Edit

Nvm. I didn't follow the link before. That's funny!

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

No credit for the publisher; worst of all, no link to my novel when you click on the portrait.

Bartholomew · Feb 15, 2009

Complain to an editor.

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

Don Allen said:
Wow!,,, how do you feel about that????

Amused. I guess the author of the article used a search spider that cobwebbed all information without checking. My publisher even included a female portrait in the morphing.

tehuti88 · Feb 15, 2009

I'm pretty sure that American Wikipedia doesn't allow use of such images without permission or certain guidelines; it seems this would be similar, especially since it isn't even an authentic likeness. Can't you contact them to get it removed or some such?

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

I have alerted my publisher, who will do what she can.

Bartholomew · Feb 15, 2009

I added it to the discussion page.

Mad Queen · Feb 15, 2009

Anyone can edit Wikipedia articles. Just click 'Editar' and remove what you want.

Don Allen · Feb 15, 2009

donroc said:
Amused. I guess the author of the article used a search spider that cobwebbed all information without checking. My publisher even included a female portrait in the morphing.

In a way its a piss-off but in a way its kinda flattering, except that you should get credit for the pic.

Bartholomew · Feb 15, 2009

donroc said:
Amused. I guess the author of the article used a search spider that cobwebbed all information without checking. My publisher even included a female portrait in the morphing.

It is more likely that they own or have read your book, and assumed the portrait was of the Marqués de Rafal.

Ms Hollands · Feb 15, 2009

Yeah, I think you can not only request that WikiP remove the image (or credit your publisher if you prefer) but you can also find out who submitted the image. Looks like it was someone called Javier Baeza Valero...

Brutal Mustang · Feb 15, 2009

Mad Queen said:
Anyone can edit Wikipedia articles. Just click 'Editar' and remove what you want.

This has always bothered me. Seems like any bored punk can replace a factual article with garbage.

Williebee · Feb 15, 2009

This has always bothered me. Seems like any bored punk can replace a factual article with garbage.

I'm pretty sure that American Wikipedia doesn't allow use of such images without permission or certain guidelines;

As a matter of course, Wikipedia allows whatever doesn't get questioned.

In an ideal environment, Wikipedia, regardless of the language, is great because it allows for global input on fact checking and addition.

The world we live in is, however, not an ideal environment.

The history professor I'm married to starts every semester with:
"Repeat after me: Wikipedia is not a primary source."

Doesn't mean it isn't a good "jumping off" point for your research, but follow the links, follow the credits, and check the sources.

Heck, Don, I'd just edit to add the facts of the image, and a promo and link to buy the book!

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

Williebee said:
As a matter of course, Wikipedia allows whatever doesn't get questioned.

In an ideal environment, Wikipedia, regardless of the language, is great because it allows for global input on fact checking and addition.

The world we live in is, however, not an ideal environment.

The history professor I'm married to starts every semester with:
"Repeat after me: Wikipedia is not a primary source."

Doesn't mean it isn't a good "jumping off" point for your research, but follow the links, follow the credits, and check the sources.

Heck, Don, I'd just edit to add the facts of the image, and a promo and link to buy the book!

Now you're talking!

DamaNegra · Feb 15, 2009

I'll edit for you

since the page is in Spanish. I'll add your book as the source.

ETA: Done. Waiting for the change to be approved...

Willowmound · Feb 15, 2009

Mad Queen said:
Anyone can edit Wikipedia articles. Just click 'Editar' and remove what you want.

That's what I was going to say.

And I'll ad this: Whenever you come across something you know is wrong in a Wikipedia article, for the love of god, fix it! That's the wiki point.

Brutal Mustang said:
This has always bothered me. Seems like any bored punk can replace a factual article with garbage.

cooeedownunder · Feb 15, 2009

I think haggis has the right idea

virtue_summer · Feb 15, 2009

I've never completely trusted Wikipedia anyway. It's NOT a scholarly source and I take everything it says with a grain of salt, like Williebee said following the links to see where they got the information, etc. I would never quote for truth something I had read on Wikipedia and nowhere else. In my opinion, Wikipedia is given way too much credit. Seriously, anyone can post anything they want, factual or not. That is not the definition of a dependable source.

Mac H. · Feb 15, 2009

I hope the professor also drums in that Encyclopedia Britannica, etc, are also not primary sources !

There was an interesting study a while ago comparing the accuracy of various encyclopedias. The study was published in the prestigious journal 'Nature'. (Britannica complained, but Nature stands by the article)

Basically Wikipedia had basically the same number of inaccuracies as Encyclopedia Britannica. What was really worrying, however, was that they found an average of 2-3 errors per encyclopedia entry ... and that included the one that people trust.

The great thing about Wiki is that people KNOW it is inaccurate. People know to check the information. Pity the poor people using Encyclopedia Britannica who thought they didn't need to check there information ! (In a study of 50 articles, four MAJOR errors and 123 minor errors were found)

Mac

DamaNegra · Feb 15, 2009

Returning to the OP, it's done. It reads as follows:
Descripción: Español: Foto del primer Marqués de Rafal
Fuente: Arte original creada para el libro Rocamora de Donald Michael Platt.
Fecha: 8 de enero de 2009
Autor: desconocido
Permiso: ninguno, todavía

Or, in English:
Description: Spanish. Picture of the first Marquee of Rafal
Source: Original art created for the book Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt
Date: January 8, 2009
Author: unknown
Permission: none, yet

Is that okay? Or shall I change something else?

donroc · Feb 15, 2009

DamaNegra said:
Returning to the OP, it's done. It reads as follows:
Descripción: Español: Foto del primer Marqués de Rafal
Fuente: Arte original creada para el libro Rocamora de Donald Michael Platt.
Fecha: 8 de enero de 2009
Autor: desconocido
Permiso: ninguno, todavía

Or, in English:
Description: Spanish. Picture of the first Marquee of Rafal
Source: Original art created for the book Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt
Date: January 8, 2009
Author: unknown
Permission: none, yet

Is that okay? Or shall I change something else?

Many thanks.

It is a made-up portrait of my MC Vicente de Rocamora, not Jerónimo. If you can, please credit the creator of the "portrait" my publisher, Pamela Marin-Kingsley

DamaNegra · Feb 15, 2009

Was Vicente de Rocamora a real historical character? Or a made-up one?

ETA: The changes have been added and will appear at the site at any moment. I just need that one last detail for the entry on the picture to be completed.

Wayne K · Feb 15, 2009

Brutal Mustang said:
This has always bothered me. Seems like any bored punk can replace a factual article with garbage.

I'm actually shocked that they let people do that for exactly that reason. There are a lot of bored punks out there.

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