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    Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia: The unexpected rise of one of the world’s most popular sites
    Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia: The unexpected rise of one of the world’s most popular sites
    Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia: The unexpected rise of one of the world’s most popular sites
    Ebook46 pages19 minutes

    Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia: The unexpected rise of one of the world’s most popular sites

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    About this ebook

    Find out how Wikipedia became an internet giant in just 50 minutes!

    With over 40 million articles in almost 300 languages and dialects, Wikipedia is the largest and most influential encyclopaedia in the world. This success is all the more astonishing considering that the site relies on volunteers to write and edit its articles, and makes no money from advertising. At a time when traditional encyclopaedias were struggling to adapt to the rise of the internet, Wikipedia revolutionised the sector with its free, collaborative model. In this concise and accessible guide, you will find out how founders Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger were able to democratise encyclopaedias and turn their unconventional project into one of the most frequently consulted sites in the world.

    In 50 minutes you will:
    • Learn about Wikipedia’s history, from its launch in 2001 right up to the present day
    • Understand the key principles behind the site’s functioning
    • Find out about related projects, including Wikimedia Commons and Wikidata

    ABOUT 50MINUTES.COM | BUSINESS STORIES
    The Business Stories series from the 50Minutes collection provides the tools to quickly understand the innovative companies that have shaped the modern business world. Our publications will give you contextual information, an analysis of business strategies and an introduction to future trends and opportunities in a clear and easily digestible format, making them the ideal starting point for readers looking to understand what makes these companies stand out.
    LanguageEnglish
    Publisher50Minutes.com
    Release dateNov 3, 2017
    ISBN9782808002486
    Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia: The unexpected rise of one of the world’s most popular sites

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      Book preview

      Wikipedia, The Free Collaborative Encyclopaedia - 50minutes

      The success of a seemingly impossible project

      The free encyclopaedia Wikipedia was created around 15 years ago, and is now one of the most frequently consulted sites in the world. This success is all the more surprising as there was nothing to suggest it was coming. The collaborative encyclopaedia, which was launched on 15 January 2001 by the Americans Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger (then 34 and 32 respectively), was initially intended to provide material for another, more traditional free digital encyclopaedia. However, the wiki technology that its founders used to make editing easier proved astonishingly effective, and the two men had the idea of creating an encyclopaedia that anyone could contribute to. This marked the birth of Wikipedia.

      It was not long before the site became available in other languages, with French among the first. Wikipedia users from across the world could add to and update existing articles, and create new ones for a constantly expanding audience. The site’s content grew rapidly: by October 2004, there were a million articles across all languages. Now, over 15 years after the site’s creation, over 40 million articles are available, almost 5.5 million of which are in English.

      Wikipedia, which has been managed by the Wikimedia Foundation since 2003, is not a commercial venture. Its operating costs are mostly covered by donations

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