The Missing Link?

For many members of the general public seeking to understand the law, Wikipedia is the first and perhaps only stop.

I wrote a post (available on Slaw) that describes an experiment in contextual linking that resulted in dramatic shifts in traffic from Wikipedia to CanLII.

The lesson for me was that simple linking / referencing of existing law-themed Wikipedia content to high-quality, explanatory sources could successfully bring visitors closer to their objective of finding reliable legal information.

I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on the concept as well as several requests for suggestions of which Wikipedia articles might benefit from contextual links to credible, third-party material.

I will leave it to those interested in building links to make the connections, but to assist you, I am pleased to provide the following list of links to some of the Wikipedia articles that drove traffic to CanLII in January of 2012.  Perhaps a glance at this list will provide the inspiration you seek.

Be sure to learn about and abide by Wikipedia standards for incorporating external links and remember, the goal is not about using Wikipedia to promote a third party, rather it is to provide reference points for those seeking deeper understanding of the legal questions that brought them to Wikipedia in the first place.

Happy linking!

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