Monmouth Becomes the First ‘Wikipedia Town’

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. collaboration (n.) [kuh-lab-uh-rey-shuhn] – the act of individuals or groups working together for a common goal

Example: The collaboration of the two organizations made the project successful.

2. database (n.) [dey-tuh-beys] – a big collection of information (usually on an electronic device or computer)

Example: The database of Wikipedia has thousands of articles for public use.

3. barcode (n.) [bahr kohd] – a group of patterned lines and spaces that is scanned by an electronic device to show information

4. edit (v.) [ed-it] – to fix or change something that will be published

Example: He will edit the news article before posting it on the Internet.

5. legacy (n.) [leg-uh-see] – anything (ideas, materials, contributions, etc.) that comes from someone in the past

Example: King Henry V’s legacy is his military success in the Hundred Years War.

Article
Read the text below.

Tourists equipped with smartphones may soon find it easier to access information about the places they visit, as Wikimedia Foundation launches the world’s first Wikipedia town. Wikimedia Foundation, an organization best known for its Wikipedia project, is uploading more than a hundred Wikipedia articles about the life and times of Monmouth, a small town in Wales. The new project, labeled as ‘Monmouthpedia,’ was accomplished in collaboration with Wikimedia UK and local residents and businessmen who volunteered to write the articles. They have been working on this database for six months, aided by the town’s free Wi-Fi access. To be able to view the articles, people just have to use a mobile device to scan the barcodes placed around interesting spots in Monmouth, such as schools and museums. The barcodes would then lead to a Wikipedia page that describes the place. Some local bakeries have barcodes on their windows that open the wiki page on the history of baking. Other businesses have also made pages with the histories of their establishments. Monmouthpedia is available in 26 different languages for the convenience of the visitors. So far, 450 articles have been submitted and 150 have been edited in the half past year. Stevie Benton, the communications organizer of Wikimedia UK, reveals Monmouth was chosen because of its cultural and historical legacy. Not only was it the birth town of the English King Henry V, it is also the only place in Britain where an 800-year-old bridge can still be found.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A 

·         Would you agree to your area becoming a “Wikipedia town”? Why or why not?

·         If you were to describe to the world the place where you live, what would you say about it?

Discussion B

·         What do you think are the good and bad effects of having Internet access anywhere?

·         How do you think having easy access to detailed information about every place will change our travel experience?

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