Edits we can believe in

October 8, 2008 11:31 AM

He holds a degree in jam-making. His stepmother is a former stripper by the name of Kandy Caine. He once appeared in a Backstreet Boys video. He's Senator Julian Polonius Foley Marcos DeWiki III, and he's running for President. (more) (via)
posted by Horace Rumpole (22 comments total)

Kindly answer the question, Senator Goatse! What is it that you're trying to hide?!
posted by Damn That Television at 11:51 AM on October 8, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

And where are you trying to hide it?
posted by aubilenon at 11:54 AM on October 8, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Digger True, is that you?
posted by condour75 at 12:03 PM on October 8, 2008

Gah, this is stoopid. Creating a biography for a fictional candidate? Give me a fucking break.

The political world is desperately in need of wiki technology, but this crap aint it.

Why doesn't the Obama campaign use wikis? Why can't we view the edit history of congressional bills as easily as we can view the histories of wikipedia articles?

what
posted by finite at 12:12 PM on October 8, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

His stepmother is a former stripper by the name of Kandy Caine.

Man, I got excited (NSFWish) there for a second, and then worried that I'd have to choose between DeWiki and Obama. Now, I'm disappointed but relieved.
posted by and hosted from Uranus at 12:15 PM on October 8, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

It would be worth something if everyone took it seriously, and we could mold an electable candidate based upon what everyone desires in a leader.

Aaron Sorkin did it with a script, why can't we do it collectively?
posted by captainsohler at 12:17 PM on October 8, 2008

We could mold an electable candidate based upon what everyone desires in a leader.

Isn't focus-grouped, lowest-common-denominator selection what made Palin a great pick?
posted by rokusan at 12:21 PM on October 8, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Because instapolling and real-time debate focus-grouping weren't homogenizing enough?
posted by DU at 12:21 PM on October 8, 2008

It would be worth something if everyone took it seriously, and we could mold an electable candidate based upon what everyone desires in a leader.

Aaron Sorkin did it with a script, why can't we do it collectively?

Because- like all that Sorkin does- it would be a crashing, cringeworthy bore.
posted by Zambrano at 12:38 PM on October 8, 2008

Don't really see the point. And the positions are laughably badly written and thought out.
posted by signal at 12:42 PM on October 8, 2008

I'm sorry, but that must be jelly, because jam don't move like that!
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:48 PM on October 8, 2008

Because of edit wars surrounding political issues on Wikipedia, people told us that designing a Wiki dedicated to politics might be stepping right into the deep end. We've seen a little ugliness, but there are thoughtful articles and instances where users build from each other's ideas - and even proofread each other's work^{[citation needed]}
posted by burnmp3s at 1:03 PM on October 8, 2008

...and his lovely wife, Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fana Bo Besca III.
posted by The Whelk at 1:05 PM on October 8, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

My dad, who's always been the archetypal white-collar, white-male Republican, despises both parties so much right now that he's shopping around for a third-party candidate. I'm so happy that he's abandoned the pachyderms that I've been shopping for him too.

I was really hoping this was The One, and I was all prepared to email him. Sadly, I just don't think he'd get it.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:17 PM on October 8, 2008

So it turns out that humor is yet another item on the long list of things that are not amenable to production by committee.
posted by Mister_A at 1:30 PM on October 8, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Are these the senators of Malta?
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:34 PM on October 8, 2008

GOOGLE SENATOR JULIAN POLONIUS FOLEY MARCOS DEWIKI III

BRING BACK THE GOLD STANDARD

WAKE UP, SHEEPLE!
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 2:31 PM on October 8, 2008

Can you really get a degree in jam-making? That would be awesome.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:42 PM on October 8, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Also in this vein: www.wikiwrit.com - The Holy Bible Anyone Can Edit.
posted by BrianBoyko at 2:50 PM on October 8, 2008

Uh-oh. Looks like there's trouble a-brewing in DeWiki land.
posted by bookish at 2:54 PM on October 8, 2008

Was interested, if not outright excited, until I read the bit where they went on about how, you know, he was made up. I'll wait for the real wikicandidate, thanks.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:56 PM on October 8, 2008

The students are studying online civic participation, researching how people work together online, and learning how groups in the Web world decide what topics are worth discussing.

Or they're learning the Internet Fuckwad Theory over 4 years after it was first published.

I think the idea that people would collaborate on creating the ideal candidate is one that would have lasted under a moment of scrutiny at best. Why would someone sit and watch as their perfect candidate became the exact opposite because someone disagreed with them?

If there aren't edit wars yet, the site hasn't been seen by enough people.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:58 PM on October 8, 2008