The User
As stated in the foreword, the lack of a central, collaborative document within any field of science to which everyone can add, edit, or just read has resulted in several problems: information overflow, knowledge stagnation, loss of reality, communication difficulties, and issues of trust. The WSC web solves these problems.
First, some researchers like geneticists, are having a hard time following the rate of discovery -their work-schedule often being swamped by the need to keep up with the latest developments in their own and related fields. A subscription system on the WSC web would automatically send a warning any time significant changes to subscribed pages are made, thereby significantly reducing the amount of effort required to stay updated.
Second, research is often publicised in so specialised circles that it can take years for useful methods or information to seep to other disciplines of science. The WSC web would make it easy to click from one topic to the next, drastically reducing boundaries between topics.
Third, without a central document maintaining the focus of a community, it is easy to get caught up in pedantic discussion more about people than about science, many scientist building their career on a single idea or theory and therefore being understandably defensive in its dissection. It is easy to forget that the topic one is discussing is more than a theory: it is an attempt to describe reality.
Fourth, the lack of a central overview often makes it difficult for experts to communicate with non-experts such as business, the media, the public, funding bodies, and so on. It often takes a lot of time to make a document simple and easy to understand, and at the moment there is no simple central document of reference or explanation that researchers can consult or refer to.
Fifth, as science is increasingly funded by business, conflicts of interest invariably arise. A simple editable overview would allow experts and non-experts alike the chance to review and ask questions about research and theories, providing the foundation for open and trustworthy science.