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Published Jan 27, 2020

Wikipedia: Jimmy Wales (2018)

Guy Raz chats with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales about his journey from the early days of Newpedia to building one of the world's most visited websites. This episode explores the role of community and collaboration in Wikipedia's success, the motivations behind its nonprofit model, and the challenges of maintaining credible information online.
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  • Birth of Wikipedia

    embarked on creating an online encyclopedia, inspired by the open-source software model. Initially, he launched Newpedia, which had a rigorous seven-stage review process that stifled content creation 1. This cumbersome process led to the realization that a more open and collaborative platform was needed. recalls the early days of Wikipedia, where the first words typed were "hello, world," marking the beginning of a new era in information sharing 2.

    You could just be the first person to say, Africa is a continent and hit save. And while it's not very good, but it's not wrong. And it's a start.

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    Wikipedia quickly surpassed Newpedia in content volume, demonstrating the power of community-driven knowledge 3.

       

    Innovating Collaboration

    The concept of a wiki, a website anyone can edit, was pivotal in transforming Newpedia into Wikipedia. adopted this idea from Ward Cunningham, who invented the wiki to facilitate quick collaboration 4. This innovation allowed for a more organic growth of content, as community members could easily contribute and refine articles. The shift to a wiki-based platform enabled Wikipedia to outpace Newpedia rapidly, as it harnessed the collective effort of a passionate community 5.

    Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.

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    This approach highlighted the effectiveness of collaborative platforms in solving complex problems and improving content quality.

       

    Scaling the Platform

    Wikipedia's rapid growth was fueled by its community-driven model, which scaled effectively without significant funding. noted that the lack of financial resources forced the community to develop innovative solutions for challenges like vandalism and editorial decisions 6. This self-regulating community ensured the platform's resilience and adaptability. As Wikipedia's traffic surged, it prompted a focus on quality and sourcing, leading to policies like the biography of living persons policy to ensure accuracy 7.

    Wikipedia is the place to go to get the questions, not the answers.

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    This philosophy underscores Wikipedia's role as a starting point for inquiry, encouraging users to explore further and verify information.

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