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Wikipedia Defies Need for Regulation

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  • Description

    Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on the success of the self-edited encyclopedia.

  • Duration 4:37
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Media another joke who would trust it that's why we need the world book -- the encyclopedia Britannica.

-- market bad even -- who constantly complains about government controls could not imagine what would be created outside.

One who didn't mention it is Jimmy Wales who founded Wikipedia so.

How did you think this would work.

Well you know it -- -- when I started I didn't really thing about competing now with anybody.

Had a neat idea and a bunch of friends and we just started typing really.

And and try to figure out as we went along and had some.

Prayers and then later some successes along the -- you started first something called new PDF but that didn't work well the concept behind him PDA was.

That if we were going to have an Internet encyclopedia it needed to be.

Even more academic than a traditional encyclopedias that we had a seven stage review process -- -- -- Steve philosophy to organize it.

It was a very intimidating for people to get involved -- it was a complete failure.

And it.

We've stumbled across the concept of -- -- website anyone can -- we started using the Wiki software coming up more done in two weeks than we have done in almost two years it was amazing.

And then it built all of a sudden all these people are editing and adding things themselves in the the usage rate kept arising.

And today we have nearly 500 million people are using the web site every month it's incredible.

-- just over ten years from nothing to 500 million people.

One of the biggest web sites in the world and at the beginning.

This stuff the establishment said this cannot work -- You need editors the former editor in chief of encyclopedia Britannica said.

The user who visits Wikipedia is a visitor to a public rest room.

That's -- both the clean public restroom I think that's something that's under appreciated in society.

It's clean because.

Reputation.

Makes -- -- -- the premises that you need to you know have editor painting editors encyclopedia Britannica and pays a hundred people.

To check the accuracy of articles.

-- what we do we've got huge community of people who are very enthusiastic very.

Key here.

To get things right you pay those people.

-- known as a volunteer community it's it's a charitable project where organized.

As a charity so we exists from donations from the general public.

And all of the work that you see on the website all of the writing is done by the volunteer community.

That how can you know who's good and who's stupid.

Well.

You know the thing is -- what one thing I always try to remind people is that we don't consider Wikipedia to be.

Some kind of you know wide open forum where you can come and say and do anything.

If you come and start writing nonsense people very quickly challenge -- on and say hey -- What are you doing -- a source of that can you prove what you're saying.

And then we have some of the best most interesting discussions I think that you can run anywhere on the Internet.

On the discussion -- the community tries to work through.

What's the best way to present something what's what's actually true here which sources who we rely on the but the most and it's that -- -- a fascinating process.

And it's pretty accurate.

My site on Wikipedia only has one mistake can.

The journal nature compare the accuracy of scientific articles -- Wikipedia vs encyclopedia Britannica.

Panels of experts in the appropriate specialty found about four errors per Wikipedia entry three in Britannica so not much different.

Not much difference and I was several years ago we hope we fix all those affairs by now from anyone the most amusing parts of that whole episode was.

When this study was being done being carried out as soon as it was published.

Some people in the community can mean -- -- Jimmy can you find can you get from the author.

The list of the errors because we want to fix them.

And attend because response was to issue -- -- -- -- -- denunciation of the study.

And I thought well that's sort of the spirit of the the times that.

Well Britannica can't fix -- very printed and shipped it out there we're here we just want to make it better if it's wrong let us know we're we're -- to fix it.

And protect got to -- the books what -- cost more than a thousand dollars.

And even to -- the CIA analyst at forty dollars your -- -- -- it's and it's an astonishing thing.

There were still not fully all the way to realizing the dream of offerings like -- for every single personal appointment -- we're getting closer all the time.

Thank you Jimmy Wales first seeing what I could not.

And thank you.

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