Jimmy Wales: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:WikiMeet_London_-_Jimbo_talks.jpg|thumb|200px|Jimmy Wales addressing a "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jimbo_Wales/2004-06-05 Wikimeet]" <!-- please do not make this an internal link; see [[Wikipedia:Avoid self-references]] and this article's talk page for reasons --> in [[London]].]] |
[[Image:WikiMeet_London_-_Jimbo_talks.jpg|thumb|200px|Jimmy Wales addressing a "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jimbo_Wales/2004-06-05 Wikimeet]" <!-- please do not make this an internal link; see [[Wikipedia:Avoid self-references]] and this article's talk page for reasons --> in [[London]].]] |
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'''Jimmy "Jimbo" Donal Wales''' (born [[August |
'''Jimmy "Jimbo" Donal Wales''' (born [[August 7]], [[1966]]), is an [[Internet]] [[entrepreneur]] and a [[wiki]] enthusiast. |
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Wales was born in [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]], [[Alabama]] and is a graduate of [[Auburn University]] and the [[University of Alabama]]. He worked as a professional futures and options trader in [[Chicago]]. He also admires the [[Objectivist philosophy]] of [[Ayn Rand]], and while in graduate school owned and moderated an Internet [[mailing list]] known as the "Moderated Discussion of Objectivist Philosophy." In the mid-[[1990s]] Wales started [[Bomis]], a search portal focusing on aspects of [[pop culture]], which also sells original content, and [[Wikia]], a wiki-style [[search engine]]. |
Wales was born in [[Huntsville, Alabama|Huntsville]], [[Alabama]] and is a graduate of [[Auburn University]] and the [[University of Alabama]]. He worked as a professional futures and options trader in [[Chicago]]. He also admires the [[Objectivist philosophy]] of [[Ayn Rand]], and while in graduate school owned and moderated an Internet [[mailing list]] known as the "Moderated Discussion of Objectivist Philosophy." In the mid-[[1990s]] Wales started [[Bomis]], a search portal focusing on aspects of [[pop culture]], which also sells original content, and [[Wikia]], a wiki-style [[search engine]]. |
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Revision as of 20:52, 18 September 2004
Jimmy "Jimbo" Donal Wales (born August 7, 1966), is an Internet entrepreneur and a wiki enthusiast.
Wales was born in Huntsville, Alabama and is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of Alabama. He worked as a professional futures and options trader in Chicago. He also admires the Objectivist philosophy of Ayn Rand, and while in graduate school owned and moderated an Internet mailing list known as the "Moderated Discussion of Objectivist Philosophy." In the mid-1990s Wales started Bomis, a search portal focusing on aspects of pop culture, which also sells original content, and Wikia, a wiki-style search engine.
With Larry Sanger, Wales founded Wikipedia, a wiki-based online encyclopedia derived from the open source model. He and Sanger had previously worked on the now-defunct Nupedia encyclopedia project. Wales is currently the director of the Wikimedia Foundation, a Tampa-based non-profit organization that encompasses Wikipedia and its younger sister projects. As such, he is Wikipedia's designated agent and is humorously known as its "benevolent dictator". According to the Herald Sun, an Australian newspaper, Wales has spent over AU$400,000 on Wikipedia and Nupedia; later, Time Magazine reported that Wales spent around US$500,000 on his Wiki projects.
Wales is married, and lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife Christine and his daughter Kira.