Wikimedia receives $500,000 from Hewlett Foundation

The nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia has received a $500,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to expand its effort to make educational information freely accessible.

"The enormous popularity of Wikipedia and its collaborative premise make the Wikimedia Foundation an ideal vehicle for spreading the open educational resources movement," Barbara Chow, director of the education program at Hewlett, said in a statement.

A Wikimedia representative said the grant is coming at a "critical time" for the foundation that operates the online encyclopedia.

"We've just begun the planning that will help us identify how to maximize our impact around the world," Sue Gardner, the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, said in the statement. "This support will help us to execute our priorities for the current year, and enable us to plan for the future."

The San Francisco-based Wikimedia said it plans to use the grant to improve the user-friendliness of Wikimedia's software, develop training materials to engage new potential volunteer editors, and establish metrics to track the foundation's impact.

The Hewlett Foundation has bestowed more than $100 million in grants since 2001 to make educational materials available to all people for free.

[Police_States_of_America]

more coke + hooker money for jimbo

[MrJoeH]

Considering Wikipedia is a top heavy orgaization, the $500k just about covers
Sue Garner's blotted salary and executive director expenses.

Money well spent to help Sue maintain a lifestyle of a rich and famous. globe trotting technocrat
as well as to cover Jimmy's Booze and Hooker expenses.

[nicmart]

Wikipedia is to knowledge what the Bible is to geology.

[Kimsh]

Tee hee hee, "increase the impact" and look for free editors! Why more editors, could it be because the last lot all left Sue? Because they were being asked to do too much for free while execs got paid? How about actually spending the money to get some accuracy in the data you serve, rather than making the UI all squishy :-)
Wikipedia is now the worlds second largest source of misinformation after the Google pages about their proposed book rights settlement.

[jaxstephens]

Man, why all the hard feelings for Wikipedia? The basic premise of having all of humanity's shared knowledge freely available in one place is very laudable, and they do a great job in executing on the mission. I use Wikipedia all the time, and I have a master's degree in IS/IT (4.0 GPA) and a strong proficiency in document editing. I've by and large found Wikipedia articles to be very helpful and accurate as long as they aren't being cited as academic sources or used for extremely controversial subjects.

[nicmart]

Somebody who writes something as ugly as "a strong proficiency in document editing," would surely be drawn to the Wikipedia abomination. Here's an edit suggestion: change it to "I edit well."

[MrJoeH]

I HATE Wikipedia, because it now as evolved in a Weapon of Mass Defamation.

Information is noble, defamation, lies, IP theft, for a few, is not.

http://wikipediareview.com/blog/20080125/wikipedias-museum-of-defamation/

[thekohser]

I wonder how this money will get into Jimbo's pocket. When they received $800K+ from the Ruth and Frank Stanton Fund, one of the first things Sue Gardner and company did was search for more office space to fill. They solicited bids from various landlords in the area, and lo and behold, even though it wasn't the LOWEST bid, they selected Wikia, Inc. as their landlord. You know... Wikia, Inc. -- the privately-held for-profit corporation co-founded by the founder of the Wikimedia Foundation, Jimmy Wales.

Somehow, though, this is not self-dealing, the Wikimedia Foundation explains.