Use of wide angle lenses?

Such as on a Nikon D5000. If you are shooting people (not portraits), is using a wide angle lens better than an average lens?

It all depends on your subject. A wide angle lens is nice for shooting when you don't have much space to work with, but will distort the image. Sometime this can be used to create a cool effect, and sometimes (like when shooting portraits) it can be very unflattering. It's a good idea to have a wide angle, but it should be just one lens in your set.

I would say no…

wide angle lenses are just that… Wide… They show a bigger picture, when shooting people, you need something that has a little more zoom to it… 35mm+ otherwise you lose the person in the shot…