3

Apparently, the Stack Exchange community is not cited in the Wikipedia article "List of virtual communities with more than 1 million users".

Is there a special reason for that or should it be added?

I don't see any reason it should not. Just Stack Overflow has currently about 5.6 millions users and the whole stack exchange community is even bigger. I'm not sure how to count the total number of different users over the whole network but it is certainly more than a million.

Improve this question
6
  • 3
    It also doesn't appear in the List of virtual communities. At any rate, this might be a better question for the article's talk page, where there is already an open question (from 2015) about whether Quora and gutefrage.net would qualify.
    – user642796
    May 23, 2016 at 12:01
  • Actually it appears in the List of Internet forums.
    – Surb
    May 23, 2016 at 12:04
  • And yet, SO is not a forum :) @Surb
    – Patrick Hofman
    May 23, 2016 at 12:08
  • 1
    So maybe the Wikipedians make a subtle difference between the two. Or maybe no-one maintaining that list knows what they're talking about. Or there's an anti-SE bias on Wikipedia. But if I wanted to ask why x isn't listed on a specific Wikipedia page, Stack Exchange isn't the first place I'd ask that question, even if x happens to be Stack Exchange.
    – user642796
    May 23, 2016 at 12:10
  • ajafi is right. This is something you need to ask the people at Wikpedia, not here.
    – ale
    May 23, 2016 at 12:55
  • I mean it is wikipedia.. you could add it..
    – Raystafarian
    May 23, 2016 at 17:54

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

There is no reason it shouldn't be added. Stack Overflow itself, or the entire network can be edited in since is has certainly more than 1 million members. And it is indeed a virtual community... or not?

According to Wikipedia it is not:

A virtual community is a social network ...

And SE is not a social network. You can debate about the wording in the virtual network article, but if you take the wording as-is, SE should not be on the list. However, I think reasonably seen SE could be on the list. If you feel like it, you can edit the Wikipedia page. Let the Wikipedia community decide how they feel about it.

Improve this answer
7
  • 1
    If you go to the Wikipedia page linked to for social network, you can see that it is referring to the "theoretical concept as used in the social and behavioral sciences" and not social networking sites or platforms. The definition is is "A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors." I believe that does describe Stack Exchange.
    – Thomas Owens
    May 23, 2016 at 11:54
  • Okay, I agree with that, but if you ask people here if they have to go on the list of "social networks" usually the answer is no. I however don't think we should read that strict.
    – Patrick Hofman
    May 23, 2016 at 11:55
  • That's probably true, until you define social network. If you provided the social science definition, I think most people would change their answer to "yes". It's clear that Stack Exchange isn't a social network in the sense of Facebook or LinkedIn, but it is a network of individuals who interact through social media (defined as " computer-mediated tools that allow people or companies to create, share, or exchange information, career interests, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities and networks") potentially crossing...boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals.
    – Thomas Owens
    May 23, 2016 at 11:58
  • So, Stack Exchange is not in the list List of social networking websites. However in the link I gave I just see: "This is a list of active virtual communities with more than 1 million registered members. For a list of active social networking websites with more than 100 million, refer to this list."
    – Surb
    May 23, 2016 at 11:59
  • 3
    (By the way, Wikipedia itself is not on the list... Strictly seen they are a community, but maybe not a social community)
    – Patrick Hofman
    May 23, 2016 at 12:00
  • Indeed. The wording is not uniform. @Surb
    – Patrick Hofman
    May 23, 2016 at 12:00
  • Unless and until a reliable third-party source reports on the user count for Stack Overflow and calls it a "Community", it will get edited out from Wikipedia as unsourced information.
    – ale
    May 23, 2016 at 18:09

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .