Today I am writing in English – as an exception and maybe a rule, however the topic is international and thats why. Today I was once more on Wikipedia online and a small banner caught the attention of my eye: please support Wikipedia. I was like, hmm.. yeah sure, why not – and started reading. Very quickly it came clear to me that I do have to support them. I did, with maybe only CHF 100 – but here’s my point. If I was on wikipedia lets say every 2nd to 3rd day, I would have paid CHF 0.5 to CHF 1.0 for a days visit at the worlds greatest (and biggest) library. I do get there valuable information for my daily life, my business purpose and as well curiosity. Its a great site and as everything in life: nothing is free or even cheap. Especially when it comes to valuable information. You may say, that the information is free and should flow from a to z, however, I agree with you on the point that the access to information should be free, as nations and people only can progress when they are granted access to information helping them understanding and grow. But, and it is a big „sorry folks its not that easy“-but: information is not free. It’s scare, its of high value and perception and people work hard for it to obtain, maintain and nurture the basis of this information.
So here’s my wish for christmas: dear all, have a look into yourself and ask yourself: did I visit wikipedia frequently this year? And how much would one visit be worth wile spending a dime? I appreciate all your efforts, your thoughts and insights on that topic – let the information flow and give it a value – they value us as users as well.
By the way, that was a lovely thank you note:
Thank you for donating to the Wikimedia Movement. You are wonderful! It’s easy to ignore our fundraising banners, and I’m really glad you didn’t. This is how Wikipedia pays its bills — people like you giving us money, so we can keep the site freely available for everyone around the world. People tell me they donate to Wikipedia because they find it useful, and they trust it because even though it’s not perfect, they know it’s written for them.
Wikipedia isn’t meant to advance somebody’s PR agenda or push a particular ideology, or to persuade you to believe something that’s not true.We aim to tell the truth, and we can do that because of you.
The fact that you fund the site keeps us independent and able to deliver what you need and want from Wikipedia. Exactly as it should be. You should know: your donation isn’t just covering your own costs. The average donor is paying for his or her own use of Wikipedia, plus the costs of hundreds of other people.
Your donation keeps Wikipedia available for an ambitious kid in Bangalore who’s teaching herself computer programming. A middle-aged homemaker in Vienna who’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A novelist researching 1850s Britain. A 10-year-old in San Salvador who’s just discovered Carl Sagan. On behalf of those people, and the half-billion other readers of Wikipedia and its sister sites and projects, I thank you for joining us in our effort to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone.
Your donation makes the world a better place. Thank you.
Most people don’t know Wikipedia’s run by a non-profit. Please consider sharing this link with a few of your friends to encourage them to donate too. And if you’re interested, you should try adding some new information to Wikipedia. If you see a typo or other small mistake, please fix it, and if you find something missing, please add it.
You can also contact us if you need help to edit an article. Don’t worry about making a mistake: that’s normal when people first start editing and if it happens, other Wikipedians will be happy to fix it for you. I appreciate your trust in us, and I promise you we’ll use your money well.
Thanks, Charles Andrès
Unternehmens-Architekten 