Save Wikipedia

I am regular visitor of Wikipedia. Its 11 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone who can access the Wikipedia website. Launched in January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, it is currently the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet. Recently while browsing some Wikipedia article, I noticed the large-font banner on top asking you to click through to read a message by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. Asking for donation is not an unusual thing for Wikipedia but the way Jimmy Wales is asking for donation is highly surprising. He says in his letter.


 Your donation helps us in several ways. Most importantly, you will help us cover the increasing cost of managing global traffic to one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Funds also help us improve the software that runs Wikipedia — making it easier to search, easier to read, and easier to write for. We are committed to growing the free knowledge movement world-wide, by recruiting new volunteers, and building strategic partnerships with institutions of culture and learning.

 There are some reasons which suggests that it is dying. Due to the present economic recession in USA there has been big decline in the number of Wiki donators. Some of the articles which have been highly edited and updated have lost their relevancy and authenticity. Unfortunately, not everyone shares the same noble ideas and vandalism started to affect posts on Wikipedia right after its online debut. Posts that contained racist, untrue or religiously-fanatic comments began pouring in, without a viable way from Wiki officials to strengthen control over users’ opinions or claims.
Wikipedia is no doubt the largest and most popular source of information on the internet. I don’t think it will die out, even if it runs out of cash, soon it will get support from other investors and venture-capitalists.