[Reader-list] An appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

An appeal from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales  
  
I got a lot of funny looks ten years ago when I started talking to 
people about Wikipedia.  
  
Let’s just say some people were skeptical of the notion that volunteers 
 from all across the world could come together to create a remarkable 
pool of human knowledge – all for the simple purpose of sharing.  
  
No ads. No agenda. No strings attached.  
  
A decade after its founding, nearly 400 million people use Wikipedia 
and its sister sites every month - almost a third of the 
Internet-connected world.  
  
It is the 5th most popular website in the world - but Wikipedia isn’t 
anything like a commercial website. It is a community creation, written 
by volunteers making one entry at a time. You are part of our 
community. And I’m writing today to ask you to protect and sustain 
Wikipedia.  
  
Together, we can keep it free of charge and free of advertising. We can 
keep it open – you can use the information in Wikipedia any way you 
want. We can keep it growing – spreading knowledge everywhere, and 
inviting participation from everyone.  
  
Each year at this time, we reach out to ask you and others all across 
the Wikimedia community to help sustain our joint enterprise with a 
modest donation of $20, $35, $50 or more.  
  
If you value Wikipedia as a source of information – and a source of 
inspiration – I hope you’ll choose to act right now.  
  
All the best,  
  
Jimmy Wales  
  
Founder, Wikipedia  
  
P.S. Wikipedia is about the power of people like us to do extraordinary 
things. People like us write Wikipedia, one word at a time. People like 
us fund it, one donation at a time. It's proof of our collective 
potential to change the world.  
  
http://wikimediafoundation.org/w/index.php?title=WMFJA1/en&utm_source=2010_JA1_Banner2_button_EN1&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=20101115JA01&referrer=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page