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July 25, 2008 11:18:26 PM CDT

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Stories related to: Wikipedia

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  • July 2008

    • Google Unveils Wikipedia Rival

      newser  |  CNET  |  Jul 24, 08 4:30 AM CDT

      Google Unveils Wikipedia Rival

      Could Wikipedia's assassin be lurking behind a Knol? Google opened up its online encyclopedia with articles—or "units of knowledge" Google calls "Knols"—to the public today, featuring major differences from its well-established rival. The  pieces are written by experts and their names are highlighted, in marked contrast to the anonymous writers of Wikipedia, CNET reports. Google writers, if they choose to, will get a cut of advertising revenue. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • Google  • Wikipedia  • online encyclopedia  • knol

  • June 2008

    • In Internet Age, No Story Can Be Held

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Jun 23, 08 7:26 AM CDT

      In Internet Age, No Story Can Be Held

      When Tim Russert died on June 13, NBC News held off reporting his death until it had notified the broadcaster's family. But by the time Tom Brokaw announced the news, NBC had been scooped—by Wikipedia, which broke the story 40 minutes earlier. As the New York Times reports, the Internet is ending traditional media's ability to hold a story, for better and for worse. More »

      Tags

      media  • NBC  • Wikipedia  • Tim Russert  • NBC News  • Twitter

  • May 2008
  • April 2008

    • Wikipedia Goes to Print —in German

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Apr 24, 08 4:55 PM CDT

      Wikipedia Goes to Print &mdash;in German

      Wikipedia will soon hit bookshelves, the AP reports: German giant Bertelsmann AG is publishing a condensed print edition of the user-generated encyclopedia. The One-Volume Wikipedia Encyclopedia will contain 50,000 of the most-searched-for German entries this year—and it could be the first in an annual series. “A yearbook really can be a documentation of the zeitgeist,” said a publishing exec. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • Germany  • book  • Wikipedia  • encyclopedia  • Bertelsmann AG

    • China Wikipedia Access Not So Impressive

      newser  |  Ars Technica  |  Apr 7, 08 1:55 PM CDT

      China Wikipedia Access Not So Impressive

      It's good for Chinese Internet users that the government has lifted bans on Wikipedia and Blogspot, but the move isn't the great breakthrough it may seem to be. If the policy change was intended to fulfill requests from the International Olympic Committee for an open internet, it falls well short of any actual freedom of information, writes Jacqui Cheng for Ars Technica. More »

    • Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia

      newser  |  Reuters  |  Apr 5, 08 11:12 AM CDT

      Beijing Eases Limits on Wikipedia

      Prodded by the International Olympic Committee, China has seemingly eased restrictions on the English-language version of Wikipedia, Reuters reports. But authorities continue to block access to articles related to sensitive topics such as Tibet and Tiananmen Square. Users in Shanghai and Beijing, the site of the summer Olympics, reported being able to view some pages on the popular web encyclopedia. More »

    • New Site Wants Your Wikipedia Rejected Bio

      newser  |  Ars Technica  |  Apr 2, 08 9:45 PM CDT

      New Site Wants Your Wikipedia Rejected Bio

      While Wikipedia may promote itself as an encyclopedia of, for, and by the people, anybody who's had his stint as autobiographer cut short by the infamous "notability" requirement knows the site to be otherwise. Or so hope the creators of startup Biographicon, a website that invites the nobodies of the world to publish their life stories, writes Ars Technica. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • Facebook  • Wikipedia  • biography  • autobiography  • online encyclopedia

  • March 2008

    • Wikipedia Weighs Big Questions

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Mar 11, 08 11:10 AM CDT

      Wikipedia Weighs Big Questions

      Forget dot-com excesses: A piece of printer paper taped to the door and cut-price desks and chairs from eBay and Craigslist are all that distinguish the new San Francisco office of the nonprofit that runs Wikipedia. "We are about as unsophisticated as we could possibly be," its executive director told the LA Times . Facing new claims of impropriety by its founder, Wikipedia is undergoing a crisis of both finance and confidence. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • San Francisco  • Wikipedia  • Jimmy Wales  • Wikimedia  • nonprofits

    • Wiki's Wales Accused of Inappropriate Spending

      newser  |  San Francisco Chronicle  |  Mar 5, 08 10:47 PM CST

      Wiki's Wales Accused of Inappropriate Spending

      Jimmy Wales has been hit with allegations that he abused his position as founder of Wikipedia, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A former Wikipedia employee, Danny Wool, has claimed on his blog that Wales used his Wikimedia Foundation credit card for personal expenses. Meanwhile, a former girlfriend released chat transcripts between her and Wales that indicate he edited her Wikipedia entry to remove unfavorable information. More »

      Tags

      Wikipedia  • nonprofit  • Jimmy Wales  • Wikimedia  • inappropriate expenses

  • February 2008

    • Species Site Overwhelmed by Traffic on Opening Day

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Feb 27, 08 3:15 PM CST

      Species Site Overwhelmed by Traffic on Opening Day

      A much-anticipated web encyclopedia of all Earth’s life forms crashed hours after its launch yesterday, inundated by traffic. The Encyclopedia of Life had 11.5 million hits in its first 5½ hours—including 2 hours down—leading the site’s founders to ask their opposites at Wikipedia for bandwidth tips. EOL plans to have a page for each of the 1.8 million species, the AP reports. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • Wikipedia  • species  • web traffic  • mushrooms

  • January 2008

    • Wiki Survey Aims to Find Out Who Posts — and Why

      newser  |  CNET  |  Jan 25, 08 2:45 PM CST

      Wiki Survey Aims to Find Out Who Posts &mdash; and Why

      Wikipedia wants to know more about its anonymous authors and has launched a worldwide survey to find out who they are, how much they post, and what type of people go from casual browsers to active contributors. In a first for the site, the survey will attempt to unearth authors' real identities, CNET reports. More »

      Tags

      Egypt  • Wikipedia  • Firefox  • Linux  • survey  • anonymous  • Citizendium

    • Wikipedia Founder to Debut Search Engine

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Jan 3, 08 7:20 AM CST

      Wikipedia Founder to Debut Search Engine

      Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales will open his new project, Wikia Search, next week. Unlike top search giants such as Google and Yahoo, Wikia Search will use open algorithms instead of proprietary search methods. The new engine will also allow users to contribute to—and ideally improve the accuracy of—search results on their own. More »

      Tags

      search engine  • Wikipedia  • Jimmy Wales  • Wikimedia

  • December 2007

    • Felon Became Top Exec for Wikipedia

      newser  |  The Register  |  Dec 15, 07 6:27 AM CST

      Felon Became Top Exec for Wikipedia

       Wikipedia had a convicted felon in one of its highest executive positions for over six months this year, The Register reports. Carolyn Bothwell Doran was on probation for a DUI that caused a death when she became the charitable foundation's chief operating officer in January, says the UK-based web site. She left the Wikimedia Foundation in July this year after another DUI arrest. More »

      Tags

      Wikipedia  • DUI  • felon

    • Google Takes On Wikipedia

      newser  |  CNET  |  Dec 14, 07 4:40 PM CST

      Google Takes On Wikipedia

      The company is developing a collaborative online encyclopedia, called the "knol project," that will allow contributors to earn money by including Google ads on their pages. Google won't edit content, but will give high search ranking to entries it considers high quality, reports CNET. Users will also be able to rate and review articles. More »

      Tags

      Google  • Wikipedia  • online encyclopedia  • encyclopedia  • knol

  • November 2007

    • Schools Ban Wikipedia

      newser  |  Seattle Times  |  Nov 27, 07 5:38 PM CST

      Schools Ban Wikipedia

      Wikipedia's so quick and easy—too easy, ruled a New Jersey school district, the latest of many to ban use of the popular online encyclopedia by its students and block it on school computers, fearing potentially erroneous information from the communally edited site will pollute minds and papers. “Kids just take it for gospel, they really do,” fretted the librarian leading the charge. More »

      Tags

      Wikipedia  • Web 2.0

    • Wiki Founder May Take on Facebook

      newser  |  Wired  |  Nov 17, 07 9:13 AM CST

      Wiki Founder May Take on Facebook

      Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is apparently going after Facebook and Google in the social-networking arena, Wired reports. Wales showed slides of his upcoming project during a speech in South Africa, and a tech blogger on hand described it as a "search/social networking hybrid" that incorporates elements of both internet powerhouses. More »

      Tags

      Google  • Facebook  • South Africa  • Wikipedia  • open source  • Jimmy Wales  • Wikia

    • Wikipedia Insiders Launch Competitors

      newser  |  Wired  |  Nov 6, 07 10:41 PM CST

      Wikipedia Insiders Launch Competitors

      Danny Wool is following on the heels of Larry Sanger, says a Wired profile of Wiki's next-of-kin, becoming a former Wikipedian who's gone out on his own to offer "more accurate" content. While Wool’s Veropedia refurbishes Wikipedia articles, Sanger’s Citizendium quickly jettisoned that approach, declaring them unsalvageable. Both start-ups, however, take measures to combat the unreliability of contributors. More »

      Tags

      Wikipedia  • Citizendium

  • October 2007

    • Wikimedia Begins '07 Fundraiser

      newser  |  CNET  |  Oct 22, 07 4:49 PM CDT

      Wikimedia Begins '07 Fundraiser

      The Wikimedia foundation, non-profit operator of Wikipedia and related sites, announced the start of its annual fundraiser today, News.com reports. The pledge drive, which will run through December 22, will finance general improvements to the online encyclopedia as well as a planned expansion of the site into geographic areas and languages that are currently underrepresented. More »

      Tags

      Wikipedia  • Jimmy Wales

  • August 2007

    • Has Wiki Replaced the College Library?

      newser  |  Ars Technica  |  Aug 25, 07 3:46 PM CDT

      Has Wiki Replaced the College Library?

      Contrary to expectations, college students are not rushing online for answers to research assignments. A new survey shows only 3% of undergraduates with research tasks went to Wikipedia first and only 13% tried search engines. The largest number, 40%,  turned to course materials first and 23% sought out the library. More »

      Tags

      college  • research  • student  • Wikipedia  • university  • college student  • libraries

    • CIA, Wal-Mart, Fox News Purge Wiki Entries

      newser  |  Wired  |  Aug 14, 07 1:33 PM CDT

      CIA, Wal-Mart, Fox News Purge Wiki Entries

      A new data-mining tool has tracked the identities of the anonymous users who make edits to Wikipedia entries—and revealed that Wal-Mart, voting-machine magnate Diebold, and even Fox News have tried to bowdlerize or spin their appearances in the online encyclopedia. And they're not the only ones, Wired reports. More »

      Tags

      Internet  • CIA  • Wal-Mart  • Wikipedia  • data mining  • Diebold  • appearances

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