What is Wikipedia Used For?

The absolute fastest way to get basic information about anything is to look it up in an encyclopedia. This will give you the very basic information about any subject, as well as a more in depth description in some cases. This is great if you happen to have a set lying around the house somewhere, but not many people do. Fortunately, with advances in technology, a complete encyclopedia--larger than any you would ever have room to fit inside your home--exists on the internet. This tool, called Wikipedia, is available for free to anyone with internet access. 

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that is free to use. It is user supported, which means people upload information and entries. It is ever growing and is a great place to get the basic information about just about anything. Most of the time, the articles will cite references and even list other sources and keywords to find more information about the subject in question so you can find out exactly where the information is coming from. There are over 3 million entries in the English language version of Wikipedia, so you can also find information on just about anything.  The usefulness of Wikipedia is enhanced by the fact that there are comprehensive versions available in more than 10 major languages, and even more versions with fewer entries available in other languages as well.

Where Does the Information on Wikipedia Come From?

Users edit the content of the articles on Wikipedia. While this may seem dangerous with respect to accuracy and validity, it allows for the contribution of content by experts and knowledgeable authors worldwide.

Due to the nature of the ability to edit the articles, the content also risks abuse by individual people altering content or facts. Many cases of slander and libel have resulted from biographical articles of prominent figures. While these can be rectified in through the court system, one they have been put in place the damage is done.

History of Wikipedia

The beginnings of Wikipedia can be traced back to 2001. It was created as a companion to the expert-written Nupedia. Wikipedia was intended to be a feeder source for articles to be included in Nupedia. Even though it was intended to be only a feeder source of articles, it rapidly grew into its own, overtaking Nupedia and becoming a worldwide project with millions of contributors. As of December 2009, there are over 14 million articles in hundreds of languages available. Due to the relatively free access to information afforded by Wikipedia, many countries have limited or prevented access to the site at one time or another. One of the most extensive bans or outages occurred in the People’s Republic of China. The first of these bans was on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests. Some of the bans or limitations on accessibility have been region or topic specific. Many other countries have limited some articles or topics from view but for the most part, the entire site is available to all users of the Internet. The growth of Wikipedia’s base of articles has been increasing at a steady rate of about 60,000 articles per year. An equally impressive number of articles are edited yearly. The editing of articles is to correct errors or changes in thought. One of the real pluses of the online encyclopedia is that as world events occur, the encyclopedia can be updated immediately. Wikipedia fills this niche by providing the ability to edit the content in real time.The organization of the articles is very handy for research and locating particular information about your subject of interest. Most articles have an extensive outline of the article with hot links to take the viewer to the portion of the article that deals with a given heading in the outline.

Challenges of Wikipedia

Funding is the biggest challenge facing the Wikipedia project. Wikipedia is a non-profit project that is written for the dissemination of knowledge for the people and by the people. Funds for the continued development and operation of Wikipedia are obtained by the donations of those that use it and find value in its existence.

Several private foundations contribute large amounts to the project, as do a few benefactors and patrons. The continued support of users, coupled with the larger gifts from companies and organizations will ensure the continuation of the Wikipedia for many years to come.