Jump to content

User:Jimbo Wales: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
m Undid revision 267007762 by Shakira 68 plus one (talk)
No edit summary
Line 38: Line 38:
<p>"Strict scrutiny" means that any measures instituted for security must address a compelling community interest, and must be narrowly tailored to achieve that objective and no other.
<p>"Strict scrutiny" means that any measures instituted for security must address a compelling community interest, and must be narrowly tailored to achieve that objective and no other.
<p>For example: rather than trust humans to identify "regulars" correctly, we must use a simple, transparent, and open [[algorithm]], so that people are ''automatically'' given full privileges once they have been around the community for a very short period of time. The process should be virtually invisible for newcomers, so that they do not have to do ''anything'' to start contributing to the community.
<p>For example: rather than trust humans to identify "regulars" correctly, we must use a simple, transparent, and open [[algorithm]], so that people are ''automatically'' given full privileges once they have been around the community for a very short period of time. The process should be virtually invisible for newcomers, so that they do not have to do ''anything'' to start contributing to the community.
<li><p>'''"You can edit this page right now" is a core guiding check on everything that we do.''' We must respect this principle as sacred.
<li><p>'''""<big>You CAN NOT edit this page</big>"" is a core guiding check on everything that we do.''' We must respect this principle as sacred.
<li><p>'''Any changes to the software must be gradual and reversible.''' We need to make sure that any changes contribute positively to the community, as ultimately determined by everybody in Wikipedia, in full consultation with the community consensus.
<li><p>'''Any changes to the software must be gradual and reversible.''' We need to make sure that any changes contribute positively to the community, as ultimately determined by everybody in Wikipedia, in full consultation with the community consensus.
<li><p>'''The [[GNU Free Documentation License]], the openness and ''[[Viral phenomenon|viral]]'' nature of it, are fundamental to the long-term success of the site.''' Anyone who wants to use our content in a closed, proprietary manner must be challenged. We must adhere very strictly to both the letter and spirit of the license.
<li><p>'''The [[GNU Free Documentation License]], the openness and ''[[Viral phenomenon|viral]]'' nature of it, are fundamental to the long-term success of the site.''' Anyone who wants to use our content in a closed, proprietary manner must be challenged. We must adhere very strictly to both the letter and spirit of the license.

Revision as of 17:56, 28 January 2009

Guten Tag! Welcome! My name is Jimbo Wales, and I was born in the wonderful city of Huntsville, Alabama. I founded Wikipedia in 2001. Since 2006, I have been Chair Emeritus of the Wikimedia Foundation, which I founded in 2003. Along with Angela Beesley, I am the co-founder of Wikia. Wikia is a completely separate organization, working on a search engine project unrelated to Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation.

Contacting me

Press inquiries: If your press inquiry is strictly about Wikipedia or another Wikimedia project, you can contact me directly by e-mail or you can call the Foundation office and speak to our communications person, Jay, at +1 415 839 6885. If your press inquiry is for my personal views on some general topic, contact my assistant Sierra at Sierra.Lovelace@bitepr.com. She knows how to find me as quickly as possible. If your press inquiry is about Wikia (a for-profit company completely separate from Wikimedia/Wikipedia, extending the Wikipedia social model to become "the rest of the library"), also contact Sierra at sierra.lovelace@bitepr.com.

General Wikipedia questions: You will probably be satisfied by contacting the help desk. Remember, if you're with the press, please follow the instructions above.

Complaints: The best thing to do if you have a complaint is to start with the help desk. Ask a short, friendly question, and Wikipedians will love to help you. Contacting me directly with a complaint should be reserved for after you have exhausted all other remedies.

Invitations: If you want to invite me to speak at a conference, please send an e-mail to walesgroup@harrywalker.com or call +1 646-227-4900. If you call this number with complaints about Wikipedia, they will not know what you are talking about, and you will not receive any help at all.

Other inquiries (related to me or my position) can be sent by e-mail to jwales@wikia.com. (Press inquiries by e-mail are also welcome.)

Statement of principles

As we move forward with software and social changes, I think it is imperative that I state clearly and forcefully my views on openness and the license. This page, like all Wikipedia pages, is a living, dynamic document, which the community and I will update and clarify as legitimate questions arise.

I should point out that these are my principles, such that I am the final judge of them. This does not mean that I will not listen to you, but it does mean that at some ultimate, fundamental level, this is how Wikipedia will be run.

(But have no fear, as you will see, below.)

  1. Wikipedia's success to date is entirely a function of our open community. This community will continue to live and breathe and grow only so long as those of us who participate in it continue to Do the Right Thing. Doing the Right Thing takes many forms, but perhaps most central is the preservation of our shared vision for the NPOV and for a culture of thoughtful, diplomatic honesty.

  2. Newcomers are always to be welcomed. There must be no cabal, there must be no elite, there must be no hierarchy or structure which gets in the way of this openness to newcomers. Any security measures to be implemented to protect the community against real vandals (and there are real vandals, who are already starting to affect us), should be implemented on the model of "strict scrutiny."

    "Strict scrutiny" means that any measures instituted for security must address a compelling community interest, and must be narrowly tailored to achieve that objective and no other.

    For example: rather than trust humans to identify "regulars" correctly, we must use a simple, transparent, and open algorithm, so that people are automatically given full privileges once they have been around the community for a very short period of time. The process should be virtually invisible for newcomers, so that they do not have to do anything to start contributing to the community.

  3. ""You CAN NOT edit this page"" is a core guiding check on everything that we do. We must respect this principle as sacred.

  4. Any changes to the software must be gradual and reversible. We need to make sure that any changes contribute positively to the community, as ultimately determined by everybody in Wikipedia, in full consultation with the community consensus.

  5. The GNU Free Documentation License, the openness and viral nature of it, are fundamental to the long-term success of the site. Anyone who wants to use our content in a closed, proprietary manner must be challenged. We must adhere very strictly to both the letter and spirit of the license.

  6. The mailing list will remain open, well-advertised, and will be regarded as the place for meta-discussions about the nature of Wikipedia. Very limited meta-discussion of the nature of the Wikipedia should be placed on the site itself. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. The topic of Wikipedia articles should always look outward, not inward at the Wikipedia itself.

  7. Anyone with a complaint should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity. A person with a complaint should be encouraged constantly to present problems in a constructive way in the open forum of the mailing list. Anyone who just complains without foundation, refusing to join the discussion, I am afraid I must simply reject and ignore. Consensus is a partnership between interested parties working positively for a common goal. I must not let the "squeaky wheel" be greased just for being a jerk.

  8. Diplomacy consists of combining honesty and politeness. Both are objectively valuable moral principles. Be honest with me, but don't be mean to me. Don't misrepresent my views for your own political ends.

The original version of this statement of principles was first published on Wikipedia on 27 October 2001.

Warning: you may die of cute if you look at this photo
Jimbo Wales smiles at you. :)
enThis user is a native speaker of the English language.
de-2Dieser Benutzer hat fortgeschrittene Deutschkenntnisse.
This user scored 1,000,000 (You are Jimbo Wales! We love you, man!) on the Wikipediholic test.
58YThis Wikipedian was born on 07 August 1966 and is 58 years, 3 months, and 0 days old.
This user is an administrator on the English Wikipedia. (verify)
From a grateful Wikipediholic

I am learning German
Ich lerne Deutsch

I like getting simple messages from people in German, but unfortunately I am not quite ready to engage in real conversations in German.

My name in other languages

You see, Wikipedia is not only a marvelous project — it is also a marvelous interlingual project. For those who speak languages other than English, here's my name translated or transliterated to many languages...

Hello you, speaking any language different from those in the above page — just pop in, and write your own!

  • "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing."Slashdot interview
  • "To me the key thing is getting it right. And if a person's really smart and they're doing fantastic work, I don't care if they're a high school kid or a Harvard professor; it's the work that matters."
  • "[Wikipedia is] like a sausage: you might like the taste of it, but you don't necessarily want to see how it's made."
  • Greater involvement by scientists would lead to a "multiplier effect", says Wales. Most entries are edited by enthusiasts, and the addition of a researcher can boost article quality hugely. "Experts can help write specifics in a nuanced way," he says.Nature special report
  • "See that link up there? 'edit this page'. Go for it, it's a wiki." – Jimbo Wales
  • "Mediawiki. It's free! You can run it on your laptop, and you can run the 4th most popular website in the world with it. It's joyful and delicious! It likes ponies!"Jimbo, completely sober on his talk page

My travel itinerary

These are the voyages of Jimbo Wales. I'm often traveling, but you can see where I'm voyaging next. Here is an incomplete list of Wikipedia meetups I have attended:

London (2004-06-05)

Boston (2004-07-31)

Geneva (2004-09-24)

Chicago (2004-10-24)

New York City (2004-12-12)

St. Petersburg 1 (2005-01-15)

Hamburg (2005-06-01)

Denmark (2005-06-11)

St. Petersburg 2 (2006-01-14)

Moscow (2006-03-03)

London (2007-01-09)

Rotterdam (2007-01-12)

Adelaide (2007-04-23)

Perth (2007-04-24)

Sydney (2007-04-25)

Melbourne (2007-04-27)

St. Petersburg 3 (2007-06-29)


You may edit this page!

Really, you can! Please feel free to do so. Just do it! Make an edit! Make several edits! Make thousands of edits! After all, that's what Wikipedia is all about!

Now, you all know that this is my user page. I like to keep it a certain way, but the thing is, I trust you. Yes, I really do. I trust that you'll add something here that makes me smile, that informs me, or that helps to inform others. If I have things in a certain format, I trust that you will respect that format. Actually, scratch that. Since this page is just so simple and plain, my ultimate dream is that some person who thinks it is fun would come along and make it look perfect, or close to perfect. See that link up here that says 'edit this page'? Go for it. It's a "wiki world"! — Jimbo

N.B. Many Wikipedians have my user page on their watchlist and will edit mercilessly or even remove altogether any bad faith alterations made. This is a wiki, after all. So if you are here to vandalize, why don't you turn around and become a faithful editor? After all, Wikipedia can always use many more faithful editors. It is, of course, a work in progress!

Comments or questions on how this page currently looks should be directed to my talk page.

Euer Bester Freund,
Votre Meilleur Ami,
Din beste venn,
Seu Melhor Amigo,
Your Best Friend,
Je beste vriend,
ನಿಮ್ಮ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಿ,
तपाईंको अभिन्न मित्र,
Ваш лучший друг,
Váš přítel,
Sinu parim sõber,
Miku jotë më i mirë,
ידידכם הטוב ביותר,
A legjobb barátod,
Tu mejor amigo,
Via plej kara amiko,
Carissimus amicus/Summus amicus tuus,
你最好的朋友
/jɔː(ɹ) bɛst frɛnd/

Jimmy Wales



This is a Wikipedia user page.

This is not an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user to whom this page belongs may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia itself. The original page is located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jimbo_Wales.

The current date and time is 7 November 2024 T 01:56 UTC.