Jimmy Wales and Wikipedia

Written by student intern Sahar Ashraf for the MGP at the University of Massachusetts, May 2009

“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing."

As the founder of Wikipedia, a rapidly expanding internet-based encyclopedia for the people and by the people, Jimmy Wales takes much pride in advocating for the uninhibited flow of information. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, Wales obtained a Ph.D. in finance before founding Wikipedia in 2001. He is also the Chair Emeritus of the Wikimedia Foundation and co-founder of Wikia.

The Wikipedia website contains over ten million articles in multiple languages that can be submitted and edited in any which way by anyone who has access to the World Wide Web. The purpose of the site is to ensure that people have the power to learn without the restrictions of money, location, or other obstructions.

Moreover, the website allows the spread of knowledge by any individual. Thus, if Joe Smith wanted to share his knowledge of nuclear radiation, all he would have to do is click “edit this page” listed at the top of the website, or create a new article pertaining to the subject.

"To me the key thing is getting it right. And if a person's really smart and they're doing fantastic work, I don't care if they're a high school kid or a Harvard professor; it's the work that matters," says Wales. “I trust you. Yes, I really do. I trust that you'll add something here that makes me smile, that informs me, or that helps to inform others.”

The fact that the information is completely unrestrained is Wikipedia’s greatest strength as well as its greatest weakness. Though it empowers users to share their knowledge, it also has the disclaimer that the editors may not be educated enough on the subject to inform factually.