"Know it All"

1. In the article "Know it All" the author's main points were to tell that wikipedia became such a sucess with so many users because it foucused on other smaller topics, emphasize that wikipedia is a skeptical source for information because its often tampered with people's opinions and false statements, and explain that even though its articles are edited frequently its still a good source for information.

2.Wikipedia remains a lumpy work in progress. The entries can read as though they had been written by a seventh grader: clarity and concision are lacking; the facts may be sturdy, but the connective tissue is either anemic or absent; and citation is hit or miss. Wattenberg and Viégas, of I.B.M., note that the vast majority of Wikipedia edits consist of deletions and additions rather than of attempts to reorder paragraphs or to shape an entry as a whole, and they believe that Wikipedia’s twenty-five-line editing window deserves some of the blame. It is difficult to craft an article in its entirety when reading it piecemeal, and, given Wikipedians’ obsession with racking up edits, simple fixes often take priority over more complex edits. Wattenberg and Viégas have also identified a “first-mover advantage”: the initial contributor to an article often sets the tone, and that person is rarely a Macaulay or a Johnson. The over-all effect is jittery, the textual equivalent of a film shot with a handheld camera.
This passage from the article illustrates the effective use of supporting detail.The first sentence states that Wikipedia remains a lumpy work in progress. This sentence introduces the topic. The following sentence, The entries can read as though they had been written by a seventh grader: clarity and concision are lacking; the facts may be sturdy, but the connective tissue is either anemic or absent; and citation is hit or miss, explains and supports the idea that Wikipedia remins a work in progress.

3. Wikipedia is designed to be a web based source to find information, Britannica is designed to be a printed in volumes that can also be viewed online. Wikipedia has a search engine that allows you to type in key words to help assist you with looking for a topic.It also gives you a list of articles that relate to the topic. Britannica online encylopedia perfoms this tasks just as similiar but the Britannica printed version has a different search process. You have to look up the broad topic in the index, find the page number,and then look for the actual topic. Wikipedia is also designed to be edited by users and viewers, Britannica is the oppostie It was designed to be viewed only, giving the perception that the information is based on facts than peoples opinions.The above comparison is how I would compare the two encylopedias from a design perspective.The comparison is based what the two encylopedias encompass, on the actual view of encylopedia and the behavioral functions of each.