This press release is also available online here:
https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimedia_Foundation_to…
And as a blog post here:
https://blog.wikimedia.org/2016/01/06/explore-new-ways-to-search-and-discov…
Wikimedia Foundation to explore new ways to search and discover reliable,
relevant, free information with $250,000 from Knight Foundation
*Funds support research and testing to improve how people find information
on Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects*
SAN FRANCISCO—Jan. 6, 2015— The Wikimedia Foundation will launch a new
project to explore ways to make the search and discovery of high quality,
trustworthy information on Wikipedia more accessible and open with $250,000
from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Funding will support an
investigation of search and browsing on Wikipedia and other Wikimedia
projects, with the goal of improving how people explore and acquire
information.
Wikipedia includes more than 35 million articles across hundreds of
languages. Its standards for neutral, fact-based and relevant information
have made it a reliable resource for nearly half a billion people every
month. With more than 7,000 articles created every day and 250 edits made
per minute, Wikipedia is constantly growing and improving. Its open,
nonprofit model, allows anyone to participate and contribute. This project
will help improve discoverability of this vast resource of
community-created content.
Over the last decade, the world has seen a surge in digital information.
People today can access vast amounts of information online, mostly through
a small number of closed technologies. Through this project, the Wikimedia
Foundation will test ways to make relevant information more accessible and
investigate transparent methods for collecting, connecting, and retrieving
this information consistent with the values of Wikipedia and the open web.
With Knight support, the Wikimedia Foundation has begun six months of deep
research, testing, and prototyping on user search habits and practices on
Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Using these platforms as testing
grounds, the organization will examine questions around content
preferences, queries, the quality and relevance of results, and what
information people consume and why. It will conduct open discussions with
the Wikimedia community to help inform the project. A public-facing
dashboard will display results and metrics from this discovery and lessons
will be shared widely.
“Finding an article on Wikipedia is like opening the first page in the book
of knowledge. We have an obligation to our communities to make this first
experience captivating for every user. We share Knight Foundation’s belief
in the power of open information in building engaged, strong communities.
We are excited for the potential of this project to bring free, relevant,
trustworthy knowledge to every person,” said Wikimedia Foundation Executive
Director Lila Tretikov.
“As the amount of digital content continues to grow, helping people search
for and discover relevant information so they can make decisions important
to their lives is becoming increasingly essential,” said John Bracken,
Knight Foundation vice president for media innovation. “This project will
help uncover more effective, transparent ways to do just that, drawing on
the Wikimedia Foundation’s commitment to an open and free Internet.”
For more information visit:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Discovery/KnightFAQ.
About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that supports and
operates Wikipedia. Wikipedia attracts more than 15 billion page views each
month. Every month roughly 75,000 people edit Wikipedia, collectively
creating, improving, and maintaining its more than 35 million articles
across hundreds of languages -- this all makes Wikipedia one of the most
popular web properties in the world. Based in San Francisco, California,
the Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that is funded primarily
through donations and grants.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality
journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the
arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are
informed and engaged.
www.knightfoundation.org
<http://www.knightfoundation.org/>
Wikimedia Foundation Press Contact
Katherine Maher
+1 415-839-6885 ext 6633
press(a)wikimedia.org
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Press Contact
Anusha Alikhan
305-908-2646
media(a)knightfoundation.org
--
*Juliet Barbara*
Senior Communications Manager I Wikimedia Foundation
149 New Montgomery Street I San Francisco, CA 94105
jbarbara(a)wikimedia.org I +1 (512) 750-5677
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