Some people think it's a bad idea to rely on the Internet for research or communication because it's a dangerous place where hackers or others with sinister motives can easily wreak havoc with the truth.

That charge is sometimes leveled at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit.

While there is probably some incorrect information on the site, that doesn't mean you should dismiss Wikipedia as without merit.

This week I attended a speech by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, which is based in Florida.

In his speech, Mr. Wales framed the issue of online reliability and accountability in a way that makes a lot of sense.

When designing a Web site or thinking about participating in an online conversation, people should not start by thinking about all of the bad behaviors that could arise, he said.

"This is one of the most important ideas that I think people should get in their heads about this new culture online," Mr. Wales told a gathering of information-technology professionals from ITFlorida.

The man knows what he is talking about. Since he started Wikipedia in January 2001, the site has become one of the 10 most-visited sites in the world.

He's widely seen as a visionary for Internet trends and issues.

During his speech, Mr. Wales also made some bold predictions about the future of copyright and some of the most popular Web sites on the Internet.

"I think MySpace is doomed. I give them about two more years," Mr. Wales said of the social-networking site owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. "I think Facebook is the next Microsoft in both the bad and the good senses. That's an amazing company that is going to do a lot of good and bad things."

He also said that while the online copyright debate has often been framed as "kids stealing music vs. controlling corporations," people should start taking a more balanced view of the issue.

Mr. Wales is on the board of Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that has released licenses for music, photographs and other content that are more open than traditional copyrights.

"Openness and transparency are going to be absolutely mandatory," Mr. Wales said.

"The public expects it, the public deserves it, and there are ways that we can make that happen today."