What can be done about whole answers cut and pasted from Wikipedia?
I must admit that I haven’t actually read the terms of service, but I’m of the opinion that copying and pasting articles from Wikipedia or other sources accessible on the internet is not wrong in this case. The people asking questions on Askville could very well search for the answers themselves, but obviously are looking to have it done for them. Sometimes the questions asked require one’s opinion or viewpoint, but often the questions require cold, hard, facts which could only be found in some sort of publication. Personally, I try to add my own thoughts or experiences to my answers, along with the facts, but admittedly it does take more time and effort, and perhaps that is why the cut and paste method is so popular.
You can take your own action by requesting that people do not answer your questions with prefabricated articles or sources. Askville, however, is generally accepting of the practice so long as the source is cited and credited. I have taken to given people “lame” ratings on their answers if the article they posted is clearly a cut and paste job with no input of their own. Granted, I won’t do this if the question said “how hot is the sun” and they post an article, because this is a question of scientific fact. But if I ask “what is the best Mexican restaurant in Seattle” and the answer I get is clearly one from another website, and not the poster’s personal opinion, I am justifiably upset. I could have just as easily typed “Best Mexican food in Seattle” into Google as well. I think it is a disservice to the community to copy and paste articles when the asker is clearly here for personal opinions.
