10 Questions: Jimmy Wales

The co-founder of the open-source encyclopedia called Wikipedia is recruiting volunteer contributors from India to Japan, but collaboration comes with consequences. Jimmy Wales answers readers' questions

Rick Friedman / Corbis

Jimmy Wales, the founder, President and Chair of the Wikimedia Foundation, August, 2006

The co-founder of the open-source encyclopedia called Wikipedia is recruiting volunteer contributors from India to Japan, but collaboration comes with consequences. Jimmy Wales answers readers' questions

Between the growing incidents of vandalism and the use of fraudulent credentials, how can anyone trust Wikipedia as a valid tool? — John O'Connor, East Meadow, N.Y.
The key is to look at the quality of articles. The quality of Wikipedia today compared with three years ago is a dramatic improvement. But people do need to be aware of how it is created and edited so they can treat...

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