Participatory Culture & Mass Collaboration | Jimmy Wales
In this article, we are privileged to speak to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and president of Wikia Inc. We speak to Mr. Wales about his latest project, “Wikia” and about how…
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In this article, we are privileged to speak to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and president of Wikia Inc. We speak to Mr. Wales about his latest project, “Wikia” and about how…
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From the archive
While participatory culture can create a Wikipedia, it is not likely to produce something like the Star Wars franchise. I don't think that's a problem, because I don't think we have to choose between participatory and top-down culture – both will thrive.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
In a certain sense, when things become ubiquitous, they also become 'invisible'. The process of connection has become much less visible, so that the feeling of 'my computer' 'connecting' to 'the Internet' has changed to a feeling that my computer is the Internet.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
You know those people starving in Africa? Pretty soon, they are going to be able to call us… to complain. There are people who are likely to have cheap access to reliable International phone calls before they have cheap access to a reliable food supply. That's a remarkable thing to contemplate.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
With participatory culture, economics dictates that we pour more resources into building an infrastructure platform that anyone can use, so most resources go into empowering 'the long tail'. Small groups of people can come together and make use of a powerful infrastructure to enable them to pursue their own passions and interests, without regard for popularity.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
Just think about what happens when the next billion people come online, and the next two billion after that. It's a remarkable thing to consider.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
My primary design philosophy involves putting the tools into the hands of the community, and thinking really hard about avoiding bottlenecks which require some 'top-down' intervention.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
The price of technology comes down every year, year after year, and I see no immediate end in sight to that process. What this means is that the poorest people in the world will soon have the possibility to access the Internet in some form, and eventually will have 'ordinary' access to it.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
With participatory culture, economics dictates that we pour more resources into building an infrastructure platform that anyone can use, so most resources go into empowering 'the long tail'. Small groups of people can come together and make use of a powerful infrastructure to enable them to pursue their own passions and interests, without regard for popularity.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
While participatory culture can create a Wikipedia, it is not likely to produce something like the Star Wars franchise. I don't think that's a problem, because I don't think we have to choose between participatory and top-down culture – both will thrive.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
I think the biggest technological innovation that will impact Wikia – and the Internet more broadly – is the continuing progress we are seeing in reducing the costs of communication technology, such that it will reach the entire planet in relatively short order. Just think about what happens when the next billion people come online, and the next two billion after that.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer
The concept of Wikia is to provide a platform for communities to build 'the rest of the library', everything that doesn't belong in an encyclopaedia. The purpose is to empower the next wave of massive collaboration, and to extend participatory culture beyond just the non-profit educational and reference works.
— Jimmy WalesCo-Founder of Wikipedia & Online Encyclopedia Pioneer