Why is Wikipedia so important?

Wikipedia is popular among broadband users for multiple reasons. First of all, it may seem that when on google, whatever your looking for, wikipedia has a page on it. The vast amount of information found on wikipedia makes it reliable in some aspects. Wikipedia is also still growing with each day, meaning it evolves, and keeps us updated on certain events. The contreversy to wikipedia is of course that anyone can edit anything. Some may say that this makes wikipedia an untrustworthy site. Well, that too can be debated, as strong filters make sure that no one vandilizes the pages. Wikipedia also requires citing of sources or information. What makes wikipedia interesting is that one can write a 30 page paper on a subject, and the next day it could be gone. That is the downside to wikipedia. Basically, dont post on any wiki, unless your ok with your information being cut apart mercilessly.