Wikipedia in some sense is almost as useful as Google. It is one of those sites that you can go to for quick information. I use it whenever I want to learn about something quickly and don't want to put a lot of time trying to research the topic. It is something that is helpful if you are in a hurry.
What I also like about Wikipedia is that it also provides you with all of their sources. So, if you are reading about something that really interests you and you want to read more, you can use Wikipedia's citation page and discover more about the topic. I think this also makes the site more credible than it has been in the past when individuals would just get on and write whatever about whatever and there was no substantial proof that made what they were saying was credible. Now Wikipedia has its own work cited page as well as individuals that go through, that are called fact checkers, that do exactly what their name implies, they check the information that is being posted on Wikipedia with the source that is being posted and if that source is credible.
This credibility is what is making Wikipedia less Tabu and more acceptable, I believe, in the the academic world. I know when I first started college professors would always state before research assignments: "Don't use Wikipedia", but I no longer get that disclaimer before an assignment. I have many professors now that talk about the different resources that are available in Wikipedia's work cited.
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