Wikipedia

I came across a quote in Wikipedia, a little while ago, that goes:

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge”

The quote is attributed to Jimmy Wales who is the co-founder or, as some people believe, the founder of Wikipedia.

I want you to pause here for a moment and read the quote again and reflect on the intensity of that dream. I can only pray for such an utopian scenario and I sincerely hope that in our lifetimes we see a world where access to information on any topic is not merely a privilege for an exclusive few.

In my opinion, Wikipedia is without doubt the best thing that happened to us in the last couple of decades. The reason I say that is because it makes me believe that we somewhere within us we all have a selfless streak. I love the fact that people have taken so much time out of their daily lives to add and edit the content that makes Wikipedia and it must have been the easiest thing for the co founders of Wikipedia to make modify the business model to generate revenues rather than rely solely on donations by patrons. It is brilliant that the co founders have resisted the urge to make their millions and it is even more amazing that scores of people have resisted the urge to horde information and have posted whatever they know so it can be accessed by who so ever pleases.

The thought of charging to access Wiki is truly scary. The minute you begin to associate a fee, however small it may be, for a service it automatically begins denying a large number of people access simply because financial conditions vary vastly across the globe. Imagine a small kid in some impoverished corner of the globe with access to the computer and the internet at school or at an NGO or where ever else and being able to access information on any topic for no charge. I want you to reflect on the number of lives that have been affected or changed by Wikipedia.

I agree this sounds like an advertisement for Wiki and I may be exaggerating its role and the importance. If you think there is some other knowledge sharing practice that comes close to the reach, number and quality of Wiki’s articles please let me know and I will gladly do a piece on that as well.

I think that everyone taking an active part in adding to Wikipedia’s content i.e. the people who donate to keep it a free site, the millions who contribute to its content and the co founders are leading by example and are in the right direction to help create a world where, in the words of Jimmy Wales, every single person on the planet has free access to the sum of all human knowledge. I profusely thank all of you who have helped create and sustain Wiki. It sure has changed the way I look for information.