QUOTE
What is Freebase?
Freebase.com is home to a global knowledge base: a structured, searchable, writeable and editable database built by a community of contributors, and open to everyone. It could be described as a data commons. Freebase.com is enabled by the technology of Metaweb, which is described at www.metaweb.com.
How do people use Freebase?
Freebase.com allows anyone to contribute, structure, search, copy and use data, through either the Freebase.com web site or through application program interfaces (APIs). Freebase makes it easy put data in and pull data out for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.
How is Freebase related to Metaweb?
Freebase was built by the team at Metaweb using technology they developed to allow extremely large volumes of data to be collected, organized, connected and modified by a community of contributors, developers, publishers, and people who just plain like data. It's also a great example of what's possible using Metaweb's technology.
How is Freebase different than the Wikipedia?
It's an apple versus an orange: each is deliciously different. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia with information arranged in the form of articles. Freebase is more of an almanac, organized like a database, and readable by people or software. Wikipedia and Freebase both appeal to people who love to use and organize information. In fact, many of the founding contributors to Freebase are also active in the Wikipedia community. Whenever Freebase and Wikipedia cover the same topic, Freebase will link to the Wikipedia article to make it easy for users to access the best of both sites.
Freebase.com is home to a global knowledge base: a structured, searchable, writeable and editable database built by a community of contributors, and open to everyone. It could be described as a data commons. Freebase.com is enabled by the technology of Metaweb, which is described at www.metaweb.com.
How do people use Freebase?
Freebase.com allows anyone to contribute, structure, search, copy and use data, through either the Freebase.com web site or through application program interfaces (APIs). Freebase makes it easy put data in and pull data out for any commercial or non-commercial purpose.
How is Freebase related to Metaweb?
Freebase was built by the team at Metaweb using technology they developed to allow extremely large volumes of data to be collected, organized, connected and modified by a community of contributors, developers, publishers, and people who just plain like data. It's also a great example of what's possible using Metaweb's technology.
How is Freebase different than the Wikipedia?
It's an apple versus an orange: each is deliciously different. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia with information arranged in the form of articles. Freebase is more of an almanac, organized like a database, and readable by people or software. Wikipedia and Freebase both appeal to people who love to use and organize information. In fact, many of the founding contributors to Freebase are also active in the Wikipedia community. Whenever Freebase and Wikipedia cover the same topic, Freebase will link to the Wikipedia article to make it easy for users to access the best of both sites.
Here's the kicker. How will freebase distinguish truth from error?
QUOTE
How does Freebase.com ensure the data contributed is correct?
Freebase.com is an open and collaborative site. Every contributor can review, add to, or edit the database. We believe that when data is subject to peer review in an open community, errors and other "bad data" will be corrected faster than in a centrally controlled editorial model. In the limited cases when spam or vandalism occurs, we will rely on a combination of automated detection and community vigilance to make repairs quickly.
Freebase.com is an open and collaborative site. Every contributor can review, add to, or edit the database. We believe that when data is subject to peer review in an open community, errors and other "bad data" will be corrected faster than in a centrally controlled editorial model. In the limited cases when spam or vandalism occurs, we will rely on a combination of automated detection and community vigilance to make repairs quickly.
You don't have to be Nostradamus to know that this is a clusterfuck in the making. When will people realise that the sum of all Internet users does not constitute a "community"?
