[WikiEN-l] LA Times article / Advertising in Wikipedia

[Jimmy Wales]

jossi fresco wrote:
> In regard to today's article on the Los Angeles Times about Wikipedia and
> funding, I am sure that this has been discussed in the past, but it is not
> about time we look into this dispassionately?
> 
> Would it really be the "end of Wikipedia" to have a "Sponsored links"
> section as a subsection of the "External links" section on articles in which
> two or three Google ad words could be placed?

While I continue to oppose advertising in Wikipedia, I do very much 
agree with Jossi that having a dispassionate discussion is a good idea. 
  I always have to say this part lest a news headline result: I am 
saying exactly the same things in this email that I have been saying for 
years.

A less intrusive concept than Jossi's, even, would be to have "Sponsored 
links" off to the right hand side *only on the search results page*.

(Notice that I am personally opposed to this at this time, but that I 
think it is a bad thing that we continue to make this decision with 
absolutely no data or discussion about how much it would bring in, what 
we could realistically accomplish for our charitable goals with the 
money, what our readers would think, what we as a community would think, 
etc.)

--Jimbo