SmartWiki: A Reliable and Conflict-Refrained Wiki Model Based on Reader Differentiation and Social Context Analysis

Wiki systems, such as Wikipedia, provide a multitude of opportunities for large-scale online knowledge collaboration. Despite Wikipedia’s successes with the open editing model, dissenting voices give rise to unreliable content due to conflicts amongst contributors. Frequently modified controversial arti-cles by disagreeing editors leads to inconsistent information incorporated into knowledge bases. To address this well known issue, Wikipedia administrators are able to intervene and lock overheated controversial articles, however in doing so, they introduce their own biases. These actions in turn undermine both desirable neutrality and freedom policies of Wikipedia. In this paper we present an open Wiki model, called SmartWiki, which bridges readers closer to reliable information while also allowing all editors to freely contribute. From this perspective, the conflict issue results from presenting knowledge in an identical way to all readers, without regard for differences in their knowledge-seeking motivations and social context. This in turn negatively impacts the knowledge perception of readers. To address this, SmartWiki therefore considers two types of readers, “value adherents ” who prefer sim-pler and more compatible viewpoints and “truth diggers ” who crave deeper understanding of a topic, including both sides of controversies. Social contex-t, in the form of reader and contributor social background and relationship information, is then embedded in both knowledge representations to presen