Websites using Wikipedia

Okay, let s break down Wikipedia s overview, revenue model, alternatives, pricing (or lack thereof), and customer care (also limited).

Overview of Wikipedia

• What is it? Wikipedia is a free, multilingual, open-collaborative, online encyclopedia. It is the largest and most-read reference work in history.
• Key Features:
  • Open Collaboration: Anyone with an internet connection can contribute and edit articles.
  • Neutral Point of View (NPOV): Content is intended to be written from a neutral and objective perspective.
  • Vast Coverage: Covers a vast array of topics, from historical events and scientific concepts to popular culture and current events.
  • Multilingual: Available in over 300 languages.
  • Constantly Evolving: Content is constantly updated and refined by its community of editors.
  • Non-Profit: Operated by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization.
• Mission: To empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally.
• Popularity: Extremely popular, consistently ranking among the top websites globally. A go-to resource for information.

Revenue Model

• No Advertising: Wikipedia does NOT display any advertisements. This is a core principle of the site.
• Donations: Wikipedia is primarily funded through donations from its users and supporters. They rely on recurring fundraising campaigns throughout the year, especially at the end of the year.
• Grants: The Wikimedia Foundation also receives grants from philanthropic organizations and other institutions.
• Other Sources: Occasionally, smaller revenue may come from merchandising or other minor sources.

Alternatives to Wikipedia

Wikipedia is unique in its collaborative, open-source nature, but here are some common alternatives, each with its own strengths:

• Other Encyclopedias:
  • Britannica: More traditional, written by experts; often considered more authoritative but can be less current.
  • Scholarpedia: Peer-reviewed encyclopedia, focusing on academic articles, especially neuroscience, physics, and mathematics.
• General Knowledge Sites:
  • Google Search: A starting point for general knowledge research; but it aggregates information from various sources, not designed as a single, coherent reference tool.
  • DuckDuckGo: Privacy-focused search engine, offering results that are sometimes different from Google.
• Specialized Databases and Resources:
  • IMDb (Internet Movie Database): Movie and TV information.
  • Wolfram Alpha: Computational knowledge engine; excels at calculation and data analysis.
  • PubMed: Database of biomedical and life sciences literature.
  • Academic Databases: JSTOR, EBSCO, etc. (Usually accessed through libraries or institutions)
• User-Generated Content Sites:
  • Quora: Question-and-answer platform.
  • Stack Exchange: Network of Q&A websites on a variety of topics, especially technical.

Pricing

• Absolutely Free: Wikipedia is entirely free to use. There are no subscription fees, paywalls, or hidden costs. It is accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Customer Care

Wikipedia s customer care is very different from a commercial service:

• No Formal Support Team: There isn t a customer service department to contact for general help or complaints in the traditional sense.
• Community-Driven Support: Issues with articles are primarily addressed by the Wikipedia community through:
  • Talk Pages: Every Wikipedia article has a corresponding Talk page where editors discuss and debate content.
  • WikiProject Pages: Focused groups of editors work on specific topics and coordinate edits.
  • Administrator Intervention: Administrators (experienced editors with additional permissions) can step in to resolve disputes or manage disruptive editors.
• Technical Issues:
  • Wikimedia Foundation: You can contact the Wikimedia Foundation for questions about the organization itself or the technology behind Wikipedia (e.g., server issues). However, they don t handle specific content disputes.
  • Bug Reports: You can submit bug reports through their bug tracker.
• Limited Contact: Expect slower responses and more of a community-focused approach to resolution.
• No Customer Guarantees: Since it is a free and open platform, there are no guarantees about content accuracy or response times.

In Summary

• Wikipedia is a unique resource - free, collaboratively written, and widely used.
• Its funding relies on donations, not advertising.
• Alternatives exist, each with its own strengths and purposes.
• There is no cost to use Wikipedia.
• Customer care is community-driven and is very different from commercial services.

Let me know if you have more questions or need additional details on a particular aspect!