Wikipedia is the world's largest multilingual, open source encyclopedia. Started by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001, it's a collaborative project with a community of users that make it one of the most popular websites on the Internet.
The encyclopedia runs on software called MediaWiki. It was originally written in Perl (UseModWiki), but was rewritten in January 2002.
It is an encyclopedia
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia that was founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. It is a collaborative project that makes it easy for people to write, edit and add information about any topic they can think of.
The project aims to be the world's most comprehensive encyclopedia, which means that it should cover all the things that humans know about. It should also include neutral information that is easy to understand and verify.
As a collaborative project, Wikipedia relies on a large number of users to monitor and update articles. This is a good thing, but it does not eliminate the possibility of errors. It does, however, make it easier to identify and fix such problems.
Some of the most common problems involve user abuse, including editing wars and vandalism. This type of behavior can be easily resolved by removing the offending page and rewriting it with clear, correct information.
Another problem is that some users may use their wiki account to game the system. These types of activities are a form of editorial dishonesty, and they can lead to the deletion of pages or editing privileges.
In addition, some users may use their wiki account to legitimize a soapbox or other personal stance. This behavior may suggest that the person is not here to build an encyclopedia, but rather to fight over what they consider to be important.
Finally, some users may use their wiki account for other purposes, such as product placement, advertorials or sponsorship. This behavior can be very annoying to other users, but it is not acceptable on a wiki.
Regardless of the specific problem, it is always important to follow community guidelines. This will help to avoid unnecessary disputes and ensure that everyone is aware of the rules and expectations. It will also help to ensure that wikis are set up correctly and remain safe from misunderstandings and errors.
It is a collaborative project
Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that allows anyone to edit its articles. The website was created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger on January 15, 2001, and is operated by the Wikimedia Foundation.
The main goal of this project is to provide a free online information source to people all over the world. This goal is achieved through collaboration. This collaborative project uses groupware, which is designed to allow people to work together towards a common goal.
In general, a groupware application is a program that allows a user to create and organize documents. It also provides a way for other users to share these files.
One of the most popular collaborative projects is the encyclopedia, Wikipedia. The encyclopedia is a multilingual, openly collaborative Web-based free content encyclopedia that is edited by volunteers from around the world.
It was created by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in January 2001 as a complement to Nupedia, a similar project that has been defunct since September 26, 2003. The original Nupedia article-review process was so stringent that it drove away many contributors and stifled the project’s growth.
Unlike most other encyclopedias, articles on Wikipedia are free to be modified legally. The encyclopedia’s articles are released under the GNU Free Documentation License, which permits others to copy and redistribute them freely.
The encyclopedia is an online collaborative community that relies on volunteers to keep its site clean and accurate. This includes cleaning up articles that have been vandalized or contain obscene material. In addition, the encyclopedia has a community of volunteer administrators and stewards who have the power to prevent or delete articles that violate the site’s policies.
Another important principle of the encyclopedia is that it is a neutral platform. This is because the site is run by Jimmy Wales and his principles, which state that the encyclopedia should be impartial and should not favor or disseminate a particular point of view.
The encyclopedia also adheres to many other social and legal principles, such as a policy of non-discrimination and a policy of respecting copyright laws. These rules help to build a fair and responsible environment that contributes to the encyclopedia’s success.
It is free
Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that is available to anyone with an Internet connection. It is updated constantly by volunteers. This makes it a great resource for students and educators who are looking for information on a particular subject. The encyclopedia also allows users to cite sources to further their research.
The Wikipedia website is a wiki-based project, which means that it uses a software program called a wiki to allow people to edit content. This software is free to use and is easy to learn. Many teachers and students use a wiki to collaborate on projects.
One of the reasons that a wiki is so popular with students is because it allows them to create their own information. This gives them a sense of accomplishment. It can also help them develop their writing skills.
Another reason why a wiki is so popular with students has to do with the way it helps them build their own identities. The platform gives them a chance to make a difference in the world and learn more about their own cultures and histories.
It also gives them a chance to take part in community building, which is important in today’s society. This is especially important when students are feeling apathetic or overwhelmed about their world and its problems.
When students are given a task like this, they tend to get a lot out of it. Some even come up with innovative ideas and solve problems that they might not have otherwise.
Wikis are a great way to teach students about collaborative projects and how they can be used in their future careers. They can even get an internship with a company that uses wikis.
However, it is important to remember that a wiki needs to be protected against spamming and vandalism. The site has been targeted by sock puppets and other malicious individuals who add false or misleading information to articles. This is why the site uses a self-policing system that relies on a community of users to clean up its content. This is also why it is important to avoid posting obscene or vulgar material on its pages.
It is a community
Wikipedia is a community that works towards one common goal: writing a free, neutral, well-sourced encyclopedia. Anyone who shares that goal is welcome to edit. However, editing is a privilege and may be revoked by blocking or banning those who damage or disrupt the project.
The Wikipedia community has several general guiding principles and social norms that are expected of all contributors, whether they are experienced editors or newcomers. These include neutrality, faith that all contributors are participating in a sincere and deliberate fashion, and the desire to maintain a consistent tone and style across all articles.
There are many ways to contribute to the encyclopedia, including writing and editing articles and contributing to other people's articles. Users can also participate in discussion forums, where they can communicate with others about topics of interest. The forums are also a way to see what others have been working on.
Articles are written collaboratively and primarily by volunteer contributors, though some experts also write on subjects of interest to them. Because of this, coverage is uneven and may be unbalanced, with obvious and notable omissions.
As with any online group, the community of Wikipedians can be dominated by cliques of habitual users who express both condescension and hostility to users not involved in the "in-group." This can lead to "edit wars" and create a sense of "ownership" over pages.
In response to these problems, the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the project, began a series of initiatives to improve the site's environment for L.G.B.T. content and make it more welcoming for gay and bisexual editors. Among the changes were sessions for new editors to learn about the culture of the site.
The community has also been trying to improve the representation of women on the site. This has included creating groups like Art+Feminism, which held workshops on how to write about women and nonbinary individuals.
As of February 2017, nearly 18 percent of 1.6 million English-language biographies were about women. That number is up from about 15 percent in 2014. These efforts were driven by a growing awareness of the disproportionate number of men on the site and activism from feminists, gender studies scholars and activists.