wikiality

Social Media & Influencer Marketing

Wikiality, Truth, and Accuracy

Douglas Karr Thursday, August 3, 2006

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It appears that the Colbert report has caused a Wikipedia uproar with this new segment on Wikiality.

There is always a hint of truth to Colbert’s sarcasm that I really appreciate. In this case, Wikiality is simply the evolution of editorial power. A couple quotes… “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” and “History is written by the victors”. I apologize for not taking the time to credit these quotes.

My point is that Wikiality allows folks to mock and twist the truth just as some other examples we have heard from our government and mainstream media:

CBS did it with the false documentation
Bush did with Weapons of Mass Destruction
The Bible (Read Misquoting Jesus), Judaism, Islam…
Science, Al Gore and Global Warming
The Separation of Church and State
The list is too long….

I’m not saying that any of the above examples are fact or fiction… but the argument shows us that people can be easily manipulated. If I have a journalism degree, I must be telling the truth. If I write a book, I must be an expert. If my political party says it, it’s accurate.

“Truth” and “Accuracy” are an illusion interpreted by the person stating them as such. Colbert and “Wikiality” have simply put it into the spotlight. As for the backlash of the “blogosphere”, you’ll hear no screams from us! We’re cheering because we’ve been talking about this for quite some time. Unlike a book, a newspaper, a news show, or government, though, the internet allows people to debate what truth and accuracy are!

That’s why Wikiality is good!

Douglas Karr Thursday, August 3, 2006

0 1 minute read

Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is the founder of the Martech Zone and a recognized expert on digital transformation. Douglas has helped start several successful MarTech startups, has assisted in the due diligence of over $5 bil in Martech acquisitions and investments, and continues to launch his own platforms and services. He's a co-founder of Highbridge, a digital transformation consulting firm. Douglas is also a published author of a Dummie's guide and a business leadership book.

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It all started as a book club.

Yes, I’m serious. I started my work on the web more than two decades ago. My first site was Helping Hand, which curated the best sites from around the web to help people with their computers and navigate resources on the Internet. Years later, I sold the domain to a company that helped folks quit smoking, one of my first big contracts.

I began blogging on Blogger and waxed poetic about everything from politics to Internet tools. I was all over the place and mostly wrote for myself – without much of an audience. I belonged to a Marketing Book club in Indianapolis that quickly grew out of control. Over time, I discovered that more and more of the group were coming to me for technology advice. The combination of my technology background and my business and marketing acumen was in high demand as the Internet rapidly changed the industry.

After reading Naked Conversations, I was motivated to better brand and control the content on the site. I also wanted more control over the look and feel of my blog, so I moved to my domain in 2006 and built my first WordPress site. Since I was focused on marketing technology, I didn’t want the domain with my name to get in the way, so I moved the site (painfully) to its new domain in 2008 where it’s grown ever since.

The Martech Zone is owned and operated by DK New Media, LLC, a company I started in 2009. After working with virtually every major online marketing department in my tenure at ExactTarget and launching Compendium, I knew there was a great demand for my expertise and guidance within such a complex industry.

DK New Media is my company overseeing my publications, podcasts, workshops, webinars, and speaking gigs. Highbridge is my agency with two other partners that help companies maximize their investment in sales, marketing, and related products. We offer integration, migration, training, strategic consulting, and custom development.

Thank you so much for your support over the years!

Douglas Karr
CEO, DK New Media
VP, Highbridge