Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia Go To College

Fast Company:

As governments and universities around the world take a more active interest in Wikipedia’s accuracy and reach, Wales talks about his site’s new status. “I’m not sure if we are becoming a default ‘official’ source of information” he tells us, “but we are certainly the first port of call for hundreds of millions of people already.”

Wikipedia has evolved from the hobby of amateur enthusiasts to a fully financed priority of academics and government agencies looking to improve what is quickly becoming the world’s first source of information. Just last month, the United States National Archives announced a “Wikipedian In Residence,” a full-time liaison to the Wikipedia community. Weeks earlier, the Association for Psychological Sciences put out a PSA calling on all academics to assume editing Wikipedia was part of their regular intellectual duties.

Cofounder Jimmy Wales approaches the growing success with a bit of modesty. “I’m not sure if we are becoming a default ‘official’ source of information” he tells Fast Company, “but we are certainly the first port of call for hundreds of millions of people already.”

Read the whole story: Fast Company