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War of Words Over Wikipedia Ads Continues

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gotta-make-a-buck dept.

Willis W. writes "Wikipedia founder Jimbo Wales reiterates his opposition to advertising in response to reports that Wikipedia needs a major cash infusion. Responding to Jason Calacanis' charges that he 'has a fringe, anti-corporate bent to him' that is 'holding Wikipedia back,' Wales says that running ads on Wikipedia is not his decision to make. Though he personally dislikes the idea of advertising on Wikipedia, any decision to utilize ads would have to come from the community. At the moment, he won't rule anything out. 'I can't say if I would ever support something like that,' he tells Ars, 'but I can say that I currently maintain the same position I always have: I am opposed to it.'" What do you think Wikimedia should do to shore up the financial situation of the Wikipedia?

4 of 353 comments (clear)

  1. Jimbo anti-corporate? by stinerman · · Score: 5, Informative

    The hell he is. He's an objectivist. Objectivists practically get sexually aroused at the thought of corporations.

  2. Re:Wikipedia Meme - Topped Out Last Year by orkysoft · · Score: 5, Informative

    Of course you can use it, you just can't cite it, because it isn't a source. It's an encyclopedia. Encyclopedia articles consist entirely of information that stems from other sources. This makes Wikipedia a useful tool to locate relevant sources of information on a subject you want to learn more about or write about.

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
  3. Re:Wikipedia Meme - Topped Out Last Year by cultrhetor · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've taught composition - I encourage students to use it to find topics. How many people have gone on Wikipedia and wasted hours chasing links and footnotes? Of course, I don't let them cite it, but if you can't go further in-depth than a wikipedia entry, your paper has more problems than just sources.

    --
    "Tu fui, ego eris" - Virgil
  4. Re:Where's all the money going? by bawolff · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can someone explain to me when the Wikimedia Foundation suddenly became poverty-stricken? The latest financial statement from the Wikimedia Foundation indicates that in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, they received $1,508,039 and spent $791,907 (leaving them with net assets of $1,004,216); according to the Wikimedia fundraising website they received a further $1,096,299 in the second half of 2006 and have received $275,427 so far in 2007. In order for the Wikimedia Foundation to be in trouble, they must have gone from spending $791,907 last fiscal year to spending over $2,000,000 in the first 8 months of this fiscal year.

    Personally, I'm not going to make any donations or support advertising on Wikipedia until someone explains where all the money is going. This link sort of answers your question.