Digital Directions: Keepers of the Brand
While there are indeed individuals (non-professionals) spending a large percentage of their waking hours doing a fine job editing Wikipedia entries, I would counter that they, in fact, have become editors. They just are not getting paid for it. Maybe they should.
• Reference-ability. Content generated through a known, understood and credible editorial process often has more value as a reference source than content that is not the result of such a process. This is most clearly seen in the case of content from scientific and scholarly journals, but also is true of general reference, news and professional information. Reference-ability increases the value of content and is a direct result of the editorial role. The increasing use of online systems for peer review does not signal the end of the editor’s role. Such systems are merely additional editorial tools that have diminished value when not used by editors.