I do a lot of posting (in forums, blogs, and in wikis) and normally I find the need to link to wikipedia articles.
I don't know if you guys read the top banner that's been appearing since the last 3 or 4 weeks, but here's what it says:
This of course is followed by asking for a generous donation to keep the site alive; but that's not what this post is about. I want to talk about how community driven websites depend on us; the users.An appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales
I got a lot of funny looks ten years ago when I started talking to people about Wikipedia. Let’s just say some people were skeptical of the notion that volunteers from all across the world could come together to create a remarkable pool of human knowledge – all for the simple purpose of sharing.
No ads. No agenda. No strings attached.
A decade after its founding, nearly 400 million people use Wikipedia and its sister sites every month - almost a third of the Internet-connected world.
It is the 5th most popular website in the world - but Wikipedia isn’t anything like a commercial website. It is a community creation, written by volunteers making one entry at a time. You are part of our community. And I’m writing today to ask you to protect and sustain Wikipedia.
Together, we can keep it free of charge and free of advertising. We can keep it open – you can use the information in Wikipedia any way you want. We can keep it growing – spreading knowledge everywhere, and inviting participation from everyone.
Like Jimmy Wales said when you go to someone and you tell them "hey, help me build a website" you'll get many funny looks. It's not normal for a webcreator to ask for content from it's users (well.. it is now since social networking is evolving); and what's more to not pay them or get paid.
Creating a community driven website; be it a forum, a blog or a wiki site; requires the ability of working with everyone, you need to be social you need to evade your ego and work For the people without expecting something in return.
Wikipedia today is the most used community driven wiki site in the world, and you don't know who created the articles that you read; or you don't even care. Well, the people that place and study, and write said articles must be prepared to face being ignored; they post information becouse they want to help. Sure some of the users promote themselves in some way or the other; but the use is the same... keep an information community active.
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| Wiki of the new world - my first wiki project |
I had a chance of managing and creating a wikisite; I started www.swordofthenewworldwiki.com 3 years ago and today it has 11+ million accumulated views, and has an active 2500+ members community keeping it alive - visiting and reading daily. I had to start posting information for the users, months passed and no one even knew who was the creator of the site or who was editing the site, or what people where 'members' of the site(and some don't even know today); that didn't bother me, more months keep passing and people came in and came out. A year after the site was live, the community was composed of only 25 or so members; a year later 300 members, and then it was growing even more until we had the current number.
Not One of those members posts there to be "found"; they post to help, they feel good about helping and that alone makes them stand out.
When you create a community driven website; you shouldn't post to be promoted, promotion comes from helping and the content formed from Many helping hands. When you're finally noticed, you'll just be Part of the group that created the information.
The founder of Wikipedia is doing right, for asking the community for help to keeping the site alive; since Wikipedia in the end might be property of his corporation, but the content depends on us, the people that read it; it's Our site. Just like any other wiki site's the property of it's community.
Have you any experience in community driven websites? :)
Hi. I’m a social researcher, developer and consultant. Bringing you news that would probably make your head hurt and some others that will make you want to hug a puppy.
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