Chris Cantell Discusses Technologies: What have you done? by Claudia Sonea

I absolutely adore Wikipedia and often used it in my research. Since its launch on 15 January 2001, the online encyclopedia editable by anyone, it has grown to become one of the most popular web sites with millions of articles written in hundreds of languages and accessible from anywhere in the world. If in the beginning its founder, Jimmy Wales was praised, now he's the target of many accusations of extorting the donor-supported Wikimedia Foundation for his extravagant expenses. Everything started long before Wool, but now only he is put forward as the accuser. Who is Wool? A person that has a blog in which he brings all kind of allegations to his former employer, Wales. Two years ago although he was an important employee, Wool resigned and started a crusade against Wales and his abuse of the Foundation money. However, Wool added that if indeed the foundation credit card was taken away to Wales in 2006, than there is no reason to believe that he still lives the vida loca. Among the expenses there are mentioned the $30000 in receipts that he owed to the Foundation, a $1,300 dinner and so on and so forth. In the support of Wikipedia's founder comes Sue Gardner, executive director of Wikimedia, Brad Patrick, the lawyer cited by Wool as covering the mess of Wales, also Florence Devouard, a Wikimedia board member, stood up for him and denied the allegations stating for the Associated Press that he was just slow in paying his debts in. The truth lays somewhere in the middle and it might worsen after the issue with breaking the Wikipedia conflict of interest rules in order to please his former lover, Rachel Marsden (after the break up she posted embarrassing correspondence between them and sold his clothes on eBay) and his own too. I know this might make you think twice when you donate money, but despite everything, Wikipedia is still a wonderful thing that helps people all over the world and presents so many things that we ought to know.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_on_hi_te/wikipedia_founder;_ylt=Ai_eRCOlDo9.HuUfh8tYt.us0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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edited by Tatiana Kucharikova