Way Back Wednesday: Wikipedia.org

Now very much ingrained in our digital lifestyle (thanks Google!) Wikipedia has become the central source for knowledge online. In this week’s edition of Way Back Wednesday, we take a quick snapshot at the great strides it’s made since Jimmy Wales launched the platform in 2001.

I think many would agree the site isn’t the prettiest out there -but it doesn’t have to be and isn’t meant to be (I suppose encyclopedias can be aesthetically pleasing to look at if they tried, although it would be a subjective experience). The main developments are in its unseen infrastructure; the multitude of advanced bots that ensure the website’s millions of articles are maintained and untouched by trolls that attempt to alter referenced sources for the “lulz”.

Overall, Wikipedia is a remarkable achievement for human collaboration, and the eagerness of thousands to share knowledge with one another for little to no material gain should be acknowledged more often.