Tom Fucoloro '08 is Fired Up About New Media

?Pure and simple, Wikifire is feedback,? Tom Fucoloro '08 says. ?If you have a thought about the site or that something should be changed, just do it.?

A creative writing major and journalism minor, Fucoloro says that from its inception, he had faith that Wikifire would ?embody the character of Knox as well as provide the ?fast facts.??

As editor in chief of The Knox Student, Fucoloro is responsible for the weekly publication of the student governed newspaper, but has also been working on a redesign of its website (www.theknoxstudent.com/newsroom). ?But I?m really interested in changing media. I think one of the most important concepts in new media is open source knowledge,? he says.

His interest in new media ignited an idea that came to him last year while taking a graphics design class. ?We were making a disorientation guide, and I thought this idea would be useful to prospective students. Everyone could throw in bits of what they think is interesting and fun about Knox and what gives it its character.?

Fucoloro quickly made the connection between his idea and one that is already used by millions of web surfers. Wikipedia is the online encyclopedia that contains millions of articles and reference materials on any given subject from news stories, to individuals or in this case life and facts about Knox College.  It ranks with open source information sites like Facebook, and YouTube and surpasses other news sources as the first hit in a Google search.

Open source information is something that Fucoloro was learning about in his interactive journalism class. ?I knew that Wikipedia software was free and could be used on anyone?s site. I knew this could work on a small scale. Knox is a very small scale for full body wiki,? he says with a grin.
 
So, Fucoloro did his research, approached the Dean, and with the help of Richter funding, in 2007 launched the unofficial Knox Wikifire Wikipedia website (www.thewikifire.org). ?It is free knowledge to anyone,? he says.

Like Wikipedia, Wikifire can be edited in real time by anyone. It?s come-one, come-all invitation to write and edit articles often raises concerns from critics questioning the legitimacy and accuracy of some of the facts on the site. However, it is the collaboration of its community of contributors that sets it apart from other sites.

When Wikifire launched, opinions were cool. Typos, grammatical errors and relics of reckless writing remind you that this source is not a product sanctioned by a public relations or marketing department. But, feelings about the Wikifire have changed a bit.

It is, as Fucoloro says, the encyclopedia of Knox culture and attitude as well as things about life at Knox. "Look, we really don't know what this internet thing is yet." From information about faculty, departments, housing, clubs, Flunk Day and Knox/Galesburg history, Wikifire provides ?a guide to survive and adapt to your scholastic jungle,? as stated on the main page.  ?It is incredibly responsible for itself. I?m really proud of it,? he says.

With 30,000 edits and more than 1,500 articles, people are ruthless about taking something out, Fucoloro says. ?It has a vested community. In the grand scheme of things, it only takes one person to say that something is not very nice and delete it. I have faith in the Knox community and the Knox honor code.?

Already committed to his internship at the Kansas City Star newspaper following graduation, Fucoloro ponders the future. ?I came to Knox to learn as much as I could. It [Knox] teaches you what you need to know to accomplish your goals once you leave.?

In addition to being the founder of WikiFire, Tom Fucoloro '08 is the Editor in Chief of The Knox Student.