[Foundation-l] Re: Answers.com and Wikimedia Foundation to Form New Partnership

[Anthere]

Ray Saintonge wrote:

> Chris Jenkinson wrote:
> 
>> Jimmy Wales wrote:
>>
>>> Will the Wikimedia Foundation ever accept money to change the content of
>>> the articles?  Not as long as I'm alive, ok?  Anyone who thinks
>>> otherwise should check their premises and remember who I am and what I'm
>>> doing and how I spend my life.
>>
>>
>> Forgive my scepticism, but if we start accepting advertising and 
>> become reliant on it, it isn't unknown for the company who is 
>> advertising to pull their adverts, cutting Wikimedia's revenue.
>>
>> A lack of adverts is one of the reasons why Wikipedia can be neutral. 
>> If we become reliant on others for our existence, they can exert 
>> influence over our content. I don't want to see us go down that route.
> 
> 
> That problem has more to do with dependancy than advertising.  This is 
> why diversification is important.  Just as dangerous as it might be to 
> depend exclusively on donations, so too is it to depend on a single 
> advertiser.  One avoids exclusive arrangements so that if one advertiser 
> fails there remain others to pick up the slack, or there is enough in 
> contingency reserves to tide us over until a replacement can be found.
> 
> Ec

Absolutely.
We must keep away from any exclusive arrangements and always manage a 
door to get out of a deal which turns sour.

Ant