I’ve seen that many people seem to use the term “google it” when someone asks them about something. This usually comes from tech guys (Kevin Rose comes to mind). Now while this is all well and good, I don’t google something as my first choice when needing info.

Increasingly I’ve discovered that I use Wikipedia when I need to get info. The reasons for this are three-fold:

1. You get unbiased info. Unlike google where the first link is often the commercial website, wikipedia is written, edited and maintained by the general public.
2. Quicker. Wiki usually takes me straight to the article (unless wikisearch is down). Google usually involves me wading through thousands of results.
3. Hyperlinks. Wikipedia will easily link me to related topics both within itself, as well as on the rest of the web. On controversial issues, the links are usually broken up based on bias – see a page like The Bible.

Plus if you discover something that is wrong, you can edit the article, contributing to the common good.