[Foundation-l] THIS is why we support WMF! Sincere thanks for a blackout.

[Marc Riddell]

on 1/17/12 11:31 AM, Alec Meta at alecmeta at gmail.com wrote:

> Wikimedia is a movement.   We're not a game, we're not a website, we're not
> even just an encyclopedia-- we're a nonviolent revolution in information
> sharing.
> For-profit media is harder to trust--  we've seen that "For-profit" media
> often means "For sale".
> In a time where it's hard to trust a congress or mainstream media,  one
> thing we can agree to trust is each other--  in the form of the Wikimedia
> community and its leaders.
> 
> Today, I'm so proud to be a part of this community.   It's _extra-clear_
> today that we do stand for something-- indeed, we stand for something quite
> revolutionary.
> MSNBC and CNN can never afford to go back-- they have advertisers.   We are
> one of the few truly-non-profit information sources-- and that gives us a
> unique value unlike for-profit information sources.   In a sea of alphabet
> soup, three letters we CAN trust are WMF.
> 
> I hope in 2012, the WMF will take its governance model and continue to
> apply it outside the limited scope of encyclopedias.   Genealogy is the
> goto example-- Ancestry.com can't afford to blackout for good causes-- WE
> can.
> 
> We're not just another information source-- we're an information source
> with a conscience.   That makes all the difference.
> 
> Good work, WMF.  Thank you for what you've done, thank you for what you're
> doing.

Very nicely said, Alec. I would like to add something I posted on the
English WP Mailing List:

Why Wikipedia is important:

Without knowledge, myths are born. With myths, fear is born. With fear,
intolerance is born. With intolerance, ignorance is born. With ignorance,
nothing is born.

Marc Riddell