For many, the lure of BIG ad dollars would be difficult to resist. Wikipedia being one of the top web sites of the world can get truckloads of Benjamins for it’s founder Jimmy Wales. But he wants the web site to remain free and devoid of advertisements. That’s one great decision and one I respect and applaud.
Wikipedia: Free and reliable (almost) source of information
Any developer who runs a moderately successful web site understands the expenses involved – dedicated server(s) and bandwidth. Almost always, these expenses are paid for by the advertisements. Since Wikipedia has no ads, Jimmy Wales wants to collect 16 million USD in the next two months from it’s users. That’s not a big figure… here is why!
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As per Compete.com, Wikipedia gets more than 78 million unique visitors from the U.S. alone; it’s one of the most popular web sites of the world. So if just 10% of these visitors donated a measly dollar, the target would be achieved in a couple of days.
Some bloggers have poked fun at the “Jimmy Wales banners” that now adorn Wikipedia. Whether they appeal to your guilt or scopophobia is debatable… but the banners have been very successful, as shown by David McCandeless – Information Is Beautiful.
Free information, as in the case of Wikipedia, is sustainable, like the rest of the web site, by the our involvement. This is the second time I’ve donated to the free encyclopaedia and it feels good. My family and I use Wikipedia on a daily basis. For me it’s essential reading on the iPhone before I go to sleep. My little donation is to help Wikipedia remain free and I urge you to do the same – click the banner below.
