Wikipedia's name gives the wrong impression, said Simon Fraser University communications professor Richard Smith. The open-source site (meaning it can be written and edited by anyone) is called an encyclopedia only for lack of a better term.

"It's socially produced knowledge. But they didn't know what they were producing when they began," Prof. Smith said, explaining that many of the volunteer editors are authorities on their subjects.
—Shannon Rupp, "Working through Wikipedia's vanity fair," The Globe and Mail, May 6, 2006

According to John Dove, CEO of xrefer , there's a Google Debate going on online, initiated by xRefer founder Adam Hodgkin. Now John's wondering about the reference experience of the future and how gaming the system affects quality of results. He thinks that socially produced information changes the modalities of discovery and makes it difficult for researchers to know where to start.
—Marydee Ojala, "Beyond Search Engine," Information Today, October 28, 2005

Veblen explained human behavior in terms of the evolution of cultural habits and institutions and the basic inclination of human beings to purposeful action aided by socially-produced knowledge (including myths).
—Ann Jennings, "Book Reviews: The Intellectual Legacy of Thorstein Veblen," Feminist Economics, March 1, 1999