Evolution of Wikipedia Pages

Over the past semester, I have made edits on four different Wikipedia pages which have evolved over the last few months. The four different pages that I decided to edit were the following, with a brief description of the edits I made and how they changed.

Phil Ivey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: There was already a lot of information covered about Phil Ivey's career and earnings, so for this page I had to make edits in which most people didn't know about. Being an avid poker player on Full Tilt Poker (an online poker site) I have seen Phil Ivey play high stakes poker on multiple occasions. I have also seen Ivey play on the GSN channel, on the show called "High Stakes Poker." One of my posts was edited which frustrates me to see that something I took time to do was changed, but I realize that this is what Wikipedia is all about. I was glad to see that the majority of my posts have remained on the page, which shows that I added insightful and interesting information about Phil Ivey.

Nas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: This was an easy page for me to update, being that I grew up listening to Nas' music, and knew a lot about him. Instead of just making edits about his music, I tried to add information that dealt with his life outside of his musical career. I added information about his new TV show that is expected to air soon on MTV, called "Mr. and Mrs. Jones," as well as his new shoe line that is being released soon, called "The Disciples." Once again, my edits have remained on the page which shows that my contributions have been meaningful.

Hedge fund - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: For the Hedge Funds page, I was more curious to learn and read about Hedge Funds more than contribute to the page, but I did the best I could to add some information. Being that I was not very knowledgeable about this area, one of my edits simply cleaned up a grammatical error. I happened to know a lot about mutual funds, so when I saw that there was a section comparing the two, I added my $.02 about the similarities and differences. Finally, being that my Uncle is in the Hedge Fund business, I added information about the performance fees involved, being that this is an aspect that my Uncle often talks about. Overall, being that I did not know much about Hedge Funds, I still think I helped contribute to the page.

MIT Blackjack Team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: For my final page, I decided to edit a page which was about a book that I recently read, called "Bringing Down the House." Being that I had read the book, and knew more about the subject than most people do, it was easy for me to add information to the page. I knew that there was a movie coming out that was based on the book so I added that fact. I also made an addition to a section about Andy Bloch, who was a member of the MIT Blackjack Team, and a former poker player. Unfortunately my comment about his interview on ESPN was deleted.

Overall, I am very happy with the work that I accomplished with Wikipedia, as well as in my Info Tech. course at the U. of Delaware. The project really tied into the course material well, and has helped me build a foundation in Information Technology for Applications in Marketing.

Nas (Wikipedia Edit #12)

For my last Wikipedia edit of the year, I updated the page on "Nas," aka "Nasty Nas," aka "Nasir Jones." Nas has joined the fleet of big time rappers, coming out with his own TV reality show which will be on MTV. The show "Mr. and Mrs. Jones," is expected to air within the next year, and is about the lives of Nas and Kelis.

Hedge Funds (Wikipedia Edit #11)

Today I cleaned up a few grammatical errors that I came across on the Hedge Funds page for Wikipedia. My contribution can be found here, under "Hedge Fund Indices."

"The short lifetimes of many hedgefunds means that there are many new entrants and many departures each year, which raises the problem of “survivorship bias”."


On a side note about Hedge Funds, I'd like to share a little story that involved my Uncle's boss, Steven A. Cohen, the number two earner of hedge funds. The CEO of SAC Capital Advisers is a collector of rare and fine art. Last year he attempted to purchase a $150 million (yes...$150 million) painting from Stephen Wynn (the owner of Wynn hotels and casinos in Las Vegas). As they were discussing the shipment time of the painting, Wynn accidentally hit the painting with his elbow and destroyed the value of it. (Gauguin's "Bathers" painting seen above, circa 1902)

What's the moral of this story? Don't buy a piece of paper with paint on it for $150 million.

MIT Blackjack Team (Wikipedia edit #10)

For my final Wikipedia edit on the MIT Blackjack team, I made a small addition to the "Team History 1980-1990" section. Andy Bloch, who was a member of the team, is now a professional poker player, and recently won 2nd place in the $50,000 buy in H.O.R.S.E tournament, which is considered to be the most challenging and complex game in the WSOP. Check out the page, and my edit here.

Phil Ivey (Wikipedia Edit # 9)

The Wikipedia page on Phil Ivey, has certainly evolved over this past semester of my Junior year at the U. of Delaware. Alot more information has been entered, with a couple of these contributions coming from myself. For my final contribution to the page, I added a part under "other poker" found here.

<<<< ----the signature Phil Ivey stare down----

(Phil Ivey can also occasionally be found playing the high stakes cash games on the hit TV show, "High Stakes Poker" on the 'GSN' channel, which requires a minimum buy-in of $100,000.)

Digg.com (Class Discussion)

Today in class, (5/2/07) we discussed the up and coming website, digg.com. I have never heard of the site, but evidentally it has grown immensely popular over the last year. The popularity can be partly accredited to Paris Hilton and her cell phone being hacked; believe it or not. Digg.com posted the story on their website, and within the next day, both 'Yahoo' and 'Google' had indexed the website. The next day, digg.com was the number 1 result in both search engines, allowing the world to be introduced to the website.

The site is so eclectic, and unique, because it combines elements of Slashdot, MySpace, and Del.icio.us. It is especially interesting, because it allows the user to have complete control on what becomes popular. With enough popularity, or "diggs," the story can make the homepage of the website, for the world to see. I am certainly going to bookmark this site to my favorite places, and see what all the buzz is about.

Comment on Dan Sefrin's Wikipedia edit-'Entourage'

I am so lucky to have Dan Sefrin as one of my group members. He constantly keeps me entertained with fresh posts every few days, that always seem to relate to my interests. When I came across his blog about my favorite show, 'Entourage,' I decided that I had to make a follow up post about his blog.

Entourage has always been my favorite show on TV. As Dan put it so well, "it's every 18+ year old male fantasy rolled into a cleverly written half hour of television greatness." The first few seasons were simply amazing. Each character's persona slowly evolved making them into the character that they are today. My only complaint however, (and Dan seems to agree) is that this season just seems too exaggerated, and over the top. I wish the producers would create more episodes like the first few seasons; episodes that seem too good to be true, but in the back of you're mind, you realize that these kinds of things actually do happen in Hollywood. I realize that my wish will never come true, because after all this is entertainment, and the show must evolve in order to keep the audience wondering what is going to happen next. Despite my small dismay about the lavish adventures, and fairytale occurences, 'Entourage' still remains to be my favorite show on television, and I look forward to every Sunday at 10pm to catch the next episode.

Bloglines; Modern Marketing

I decided to read an article about modern marketing, which was written in a blog by Collaborate PR and Marketing. Their blog can be found here. The name of the actual article was called, "From TV Ads To YouTube Anarchy," and can be found here.

The article brought up a great point; why is it that a professional video of a celebrity, say Kate Moss, be viewed only 75,000 times on YouTube, when a video of something insignificant, such as a baby giggling, be viewed over 8,000,000 times? Anyway, the people at 'Modern Marketing' are attempting to discover what it is that makes a certain video so popular. I hope that when they find the answer they will post the results, as I am curious myself.

Post's on Teammate's Blogs...

Blogger: Work In Progress - Post a Comment (Post about the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, on Dan Sefrin's blog)

Blogger: Jocelyn's Blog - Post a Comment (Post about Google's vanity search, on Jocelyn Mohr's blog)

Blogger: Kyle Garis - Post a Comment (Post about the Amazon price discrimination debacle, on Kyle Garis' blog)

Blogger: Kyle Garis - Post a Comment (Post about Wikipedia users and how they often are "uptight")

Blogger: Dan Sefrin's "Work in Progress" (its a tentative name, relax) - Post a Comment (Post about celebrity appearances on 'Entourage')

Blogger: Dan Sefrin's "Work in Progress" (its a tentative name, relax) - Post a Comment (Post about a response that I made on my page about one of Dan's blogs)

Nas (Wikipedia Edit #8)

For my second Wikipedia edit about Nas, I added a fact that I came across regarding Nas's new shoe line, 'The Disciples," which is expected to hit stores soon. It seems that every major rapper has decided to come out with their own shoe line, and Nas has finally decided to come out with his. The edit can be found here.

Hedge Funds (Wikipedia Edit #7)

I made my second edit regarding the Hedge Fund page on Wikipedia today. There was a section comparing hedge fund's to mutual funds, and being that I am somewhat knowledgable about mutual funds, I decided to add in my $.02. The edit can be found here, under the "Comparison to U.S. mutual funds section."

MIT Blackjack Team (Wikipedia Edit #6)

For my second edit on the MIT Blackjack Team on Wikipedia, I added information for the movie that is being released based on the New York Times best selling book, "Bringing Down the House." The edit can be found here: MIT Blackjack Team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under the "In the Media" section.

Phil Ivey (Wikipedia Edit #5)

Today I made a small edit to the Wikipedia page on Phil Ivey. Being an avid player on www.FullTiltpoker.com I have actually watched Phil play NL Hold 'em as well as PL Omaha Hi. Here is my edit, Phil Ivey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, which can be found under the "Other Poker" section.

Bloglines (John Battelle's Searchblog)

This week, I decided to check out John Battelle's Searchblog, from the required blogs list. I was amazed when I came across the opening of www.portfolio.com, a whopping $125 million start up website for Conde Nast. I knew that starting a website could potentially cost a lot of money, but $125 million? Clearly Conde Nast, feels that this site will increase the traffic for their business magazine tremendously. After reviewing comments on the website, people tend to agree that it is visually appearing, and is well designed, but I can't help but wonder if starting a website can truly increase your businesses revenues by that much money. The blog about this website can be found here: John Battelle's Searchblog: The $125 Million Website.

Dealcatcher.com (Class Speakers)

This past week in class, the founder of dealcatcher.com Tim Patton, came to discuss his successful internet business, and how he started it. Opening the site in his parents bedroom, Patton intended the site to simply be a hobby and had no serious direction. Shortly after the site started however, he realized that it had the potential to make large amounts of profit. Slowly but surely, the site became popular simply by word of mouth. The biggest boost to the business however, came when Wal-Mart threatened to sue them for leaking information. Although this was considered "negative press", alot of speculation about the company began, and it was even featured on CNN. Today, the page has up to 3 million viewings a month, and is considered one of the top- 10 websites for finding bargains online. Hearing Tim talk about his company, made me realize just how much potential there is for starting a business online.

Bloglines (Dana VanDen Heuvel)

I was browsing through some of my required blogs via bloglines, and came across an interesting blog on Dana VanDen Heuvel's page. The blog talked about how many businesses have not taken the liberty to put their URL, or update their business information, in Google. It seems that every business trys to do everything they can to stay ahead of the competition, which makes me wonder why they wouldn't update their company information. With the millions of people browsing the internet every day, clearly it is vital for a succesfull business to have the correct information about themselves on the Web.

Anyway, Dana's blog can be found here.

Comment on Teammate Dan Sefrin's Blog

Like my teammate Dan Sefrin, I am also an avid New York Giants fan. Although the Giants have found there last few seasons to be mediocre, I remain to be a big fan. I, like Mr. Sefrin, was raised in New York, and so regardless of how poor the Giants perform, I still find myself rooting for them. I can't understand however, why the organization hasn't gone after free agents in the offseason. I guess that will remain a mystery. I especially enjoyed Mr. Sefrin's revision on the Wikipedia article entitled, "Modern Era; 1994 - Present." Incase you wanted to check out Dan Sefrin's blog post, along with his wikipedia edit, his page can be found here.

Research Project (STIUQXELA)

The second half of this semester we are conducting a search engine experiment. Our Info. Tech. professor, and future Triple Crown winner, Alex Brown is in charge of this experiment. Check it out, at... stiuqxela or on the Google homepage at... stiuqxela research project - Google Search

Viacom vs. Google (Class Discussion)

The other day in class we had a debate over the Viacom vs. Google lawsuit that is going on. Viacom, who owns MTV and Comedy Central, is claiming that over 160,000 clips that have appeared on YouTube, and viewed over 1.5 billion times, have been illegaly obtained. It should be interesting where this case goes, as it will be the benchmark for the future of digital media. Google claims that they remove the files that Viacom feels is not rightfully theirs, immediately after a complaint is made. The problem however, is that users can make copies of the clips and repost them. For this reason, I feel that it will be extremely difficult for Viacom's case to hold up. Only time will tell what happens, but I can only cross my fingers for Google and YouTube, as I am a religious user of YouTube! Check this website for more information regarding the ongoing disagreement. Viacom creates address for sending YouTube complaints.

Nas (Wikipedia Edit #4)

Growing up, I always had a passion for rap and hip-hop music. One of my favorite artists is known to the world as Nasir Jones, aka Nasty Nas or "Nas" for short. His combination of catchy beats, and witty lyrics is what makes him so good. In one of his songs for example, "Rewind", the lyrics are actually said in reverse. It is such an amazing song, and really comes together well. Nas is known for his long rivalry with accomplished rapper, "Jay-Z", but the two recently ended their feud, and came together on the same album. Here is his Wikipedia page, with my edit found under, "2000-2001: The Nas vs. Jay-z rivalry and Stillmatic."Nas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hedge Funds (Wikipedia Edit #3)

As a 20 year old college student, money is something that is almost always on my mind. My Uncle is a man who has alot of it, and naturally I was curious as to how he acquired it. He explained his job to me, and what he does, and although I must admit it was alot of information to take in, and was hard to follow, I was intrigued. My Uncle does what not many people can do successfully, and that is trading Hedge Funds. Although he has made tremendous amounts of money, one thing he complains about is the enormous perfomance fees. I decided to do a little research on Hedge Funds myself after talking to him, and decided that Wikipedia would be a good place to start. Here is the article that I came across, and my edit can be found under the, "Performance Fee's" section Hedge fund - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Bloglines; Slashdot

I was scrolling through the required blogs today, when I came across a blog that really caught my eye. It was an article on Slashdot, that was about how in France, only journalists can film violence. Immediately, I thought that this can't be true, and must be a joke of some kind, and then I realized that I am from the United States, and although I have traveled to other countries for vacation (mostly carribbean islands) I am not very cultured when it comes to other countries policies regarding freedoms. I decided to mention this article in my blog because I think it is something that everyone should know about, and will be interested to read. Here is the link:
Slashdot In France, Only Journalists Can Film Violence

Anyway, the law was approved exactly 16 years after a film was released by an amateur videographer exposing police officers beating up Rodney King. Although this law seems rather outlandish, there is nothing that the citizens of the country can do, other then publishing what they record, which is what in essence makes a journalist...well a journalist. I find it pretty unbelievable that a first world country can prevent people of basic freedoms (well, basic American freedoms atleast) and it seems that other people agree with me as there are hundreds of comments posted by readers, displayed under the article.

Online Gambling (class discussion)

Since I just made a Wikipedia edit to Phil Ivey's page, and we have also recently had a class discussion about online gambling, I thought it would be appropriate if I posted a blog about my feelings in regard to online gambling. I apologize in advance, if this turns into somewhat of a ramble, as I have very bitter feelings on the subject. The fact that President Bush has signed a law into legislation outlawing online gambling is one thing, but outlawing online poker is just ridiculous. Prohibiting online gambling games such as blackjack, sports betting, roulette etc. is understandable, as these are games of luck and are very addicting and hard to walk away from. The government wants to outlaw these forms of gambling because it is taking away potential money from casinos that they can tax. I am fine with this, as I absolutely hate games of luck. Poker however (regarless of how much you may not believe it, as most people don't, including my parents) is simply a game of skill. How can that be may you ask? Clearly there is luck present but if it wasn't a game of skill, then explain to me how the best poker players continue to make the final tables year after year at the World Series of Poker. I simply cannot understand why Bush has made online poker illegal. Fortunately for me, and other degenerate gamblers, there are still sites that operate such as Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, Doyle's Room, etc. You can still legally wire money through, however the convenient forms of wiring the money has become obsolete, as companies such as neteller has shut down their business. Well, like I said, sorry for the rant... I have an Econ midterm that I have to study for. Laterrrrrrr. (Here is an article in reference to some of the legalities regarding online gambling. I came across it on Wikipedia.)-----Online gambling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phil Ivey (Wikipedia Edit #2)

Today, I decided to make an edit on my favorite professional poker player, Phil Ivey. Ivey is considered by many to be the best poker player in the world, and is nicknamed the "Tiger Woods of Poker." As an amateur poker player myself, I often watch Ivey play on television, and online to pick up his aggressive style of play, and adapt it into my game. I currently play online poker on Full Tilt, (yes, yes I know online poker is "illegal" and I probably shouldn't be posting this on an online blog, but I can't help it--I am addicted to online poker).

Anyway, my edit consists of a little informational fact about Ivey and his relationship with FullTiltPoker.com

"He can occasionally be found playing online at Full Tilt, playing high stakes limit and no limit cash games." (This is my edit, and can be found under the "Other Poker" section, at this page
Phil Ivey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's it for now, stay tuned for more postings later this week.

A little about myself

Now that I have gotten the hang of blogging, I thought I would share a little bit about myself. My name is Michael Bennett, and I attend the University of Delaware. The link to my school homepage can be found here; University of Delaware.

I am currently a Marketing major, although I was previously a Finance major and recently decided to switch. I am taking an Information Techonolgy Applications in Marketing course, and most of my blogging will be in correspondence to this course. In the couple of weeks that I have taken this class, I have already become more familiar with blogging, wikipedia, and other aspects of the web.

MIT BlackJack Team (Wikipedia Edit #1)

Today I am attempting to edit a Wikipedia page of my choosing. I have selected to edit a page about the infamous "MIT blackjack team." I recently read a book about the team in, "Bringing Down the House," written by Ben Mezrich. I was fascinated by the book, and intrigued to discover the players techniques and strategies in their scheme to take Vegas for millions of dollars playing blackjack.

Here is my edit: Editing MIT Blackjack Team (section) - Preview - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Let's hope that my edit will stay on the main page, and won't be deleted!

Oh yea, here is the the story of the MIT Blackjack team, and my edit can be found here as well.
MIT Blackjack Team - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's Friday

Well, it's been two weeks since I have returned from Australia, and every day seems to go slower and slower. Atleast it's Friday, and the weekend is ahead. These past two weeks have been rather uneventful, but it's nice to see my friends again. I'm just getting over being sick as well. This weather is absolutely miserable, and I am making a note to myself to move somewhere warm when I get older.

Glorious Day

This is my first post. What a glorious day.