Difference between revisions of "FAQ"
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==What is Wikipedia?== | ==What is Wikipedia?== | ||
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:Wikipedia is an online free-content encyclopedia that you can edit and contribute to. Wikipedia co-founder [[Jimmy Wales]] has described Wikipedia as "an effort to create and distribute a multilingual free encyclopedia of the highest quality to every single person on the planet in his or her own language." Wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it. | :Wikipedia is an online free-content encyclopedia that you can edit and contribute to. Wikipedia co-founder [[Jimmy Wales]] has described Wikipedia as "an effort to create and distribute a multilingual free encyclopedia of the highest quality to every single person on the planet in his or her own language." Wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Who owns Wikipedia?== |
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:''Who owns the Web site?'' Wikipedia's tech framework is supported by a non-profit parent organization, the [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation Inc]], which also supports Wikipedia's sister projects, including [[Wiktionary]] (a wiki dictionary), [[Wikibooks]] (textbooks), and others, and owns all of their domain names. Previously, the site was hosted on the servers of [[Bomis]], Inc., a company mostly owned by [[Jimmy Wales]]. With the announcement of the Wikimedia Foundation on June 20, 2003, the ownership of all domain names was transferred to the Foundation. The site is run by the community of [[Wikipedia:Wikipedians|Wikipedians]] guided by the principles [[User:Jimbo Wales/Statement of principles|articulated]] by Jimmy Wales, including, for example, an adherence to a [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view]]. | :''Who owns the Web site?'' Wikipedia's tech framework is supported by a non-profit parent organization, the [[Wikipedia:Wikimedia Foundation|Wikimedia Foundation Inc]], which also supports Wikipedia's sister projects, including [[Wiktionary]] (a wiki dictionary), [[Wikibooks]] (textbooks), and others, and owns all of their domain names. Previously, the site was hosted on the servers of [[Bomis]], Inc., a company mostly owned by [[Jimmy Wales]]. With the announcement of the Wikimedia Foundation on June 20, 2003, the ownership of all domain names was transferred to the Foundation. The site is run by the community of [[Wikipedia:Wikipedians|Wikipedians]] guided by the principles [[User:Jimbo Wales/Statement of principles|articulated]] by Jimmy Wales, including, for example, an adherence to a [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutral point of view]]. | ||
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:By law, the contributions are still owned by the people who donated them. These people are not bound by the license and can use their property in the way they like. However, media with multiple authors require permission from every contributor to use them differently from the terms of the Wikipedia license. | :By law, the contributions are still owned by the people who donated them. These people are not bound by the license and can use their property in the way they like. However, media with multiple authors require permission from every contributor to use them differently from the terms of the Wikipedia license. | ||
| − | == | + | ==Who is responsible for the articles on Wikipedia?== |
{{Shortcut|WP:OFAQ#RESP}} | {{Shortcut|WP:OFAQ#RESP}} | ||
:You are! Editing is a [[collaboration|collaborative]] effort. Millions of people have contributed information to different parts of this project, and anyone can do so, including you. All you need is to know [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page|how to edit a page]], and have some encyclopedic knowledge that you would like to share. The encyclopedia provides users with a certain amount of freedom. | :You are! Editing is a [[collaboration|collaborative]] effort. Millions of people have contributed information to different parts of this project, and anyone can do so, including you. All you need is to know [[Wikipedia:How to edit a page|how to edit a page]], and have some encyclopedic knowledge that you would like to share. The encyclopedia provides users with a certain amount of freedom. | ||
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:If you are uncertain, or find the wording confusing, quote the material on the associated [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk page]] and leave a question for the next person. This helps reduce errors, inaccuracies, or misleading wording more quickly and is highly appreciated by the community. | :If you are uncertain, or find the wording confusing, quote the material on the associated [[Wikipedia:Talk page|talk page]] and leave a question for the next person. This helps reduce errors, inaccuracies, or misleading wording more quickly and is highly appreciated by the community. | ||
| − | == | + | ==How can I contact the project?== |
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:See [[Wikipedia:Contact us]] for important links and e-mail addresses. | :See [[Wikipedia:Contact us]] for important links and e-mail addresses. | ||
:Given the massively collaborative nature of the project, there is no single point of contact. If you send an e-mail to an individual board or staff member, they will likely just forward it to the group of Wikipedia volunteers who answer reader inquiries. You can reach those volunteers yourself, by e-mailing info-en{{@}}wikimedia.org. | :Given the massively collaborative nature of the project, there is no single point of contact. If you send an e-mail to an individual board or staff member, they will likely just forward it to the group of Wikipedia volunteers who answer reader inquiries. You can reach those volunteers yourself, by e-mailing info-en{{@}}wikimedia.org. | ||
Revision as of 11:52, 15 January 2016
Contents
What is Wikipedia?
- Wikipedia is an online free-content encyclopedia that you can edit and contribute to. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has described Wikipedia as "an effort to create and distribute a multilingual free encyclopedia of the highest quality to every single person on the planet in his or her own language." Wikipedia exists to bring knowledge to everyone who seeks it.
Who owns Wikipedia?
- Who owns the Web site? Wikipedia's tech framework is supported by a non-profit parent organization, the Wikimedia Foundation Inc, which also supports Wikipedia's sister projects, including Wiktionary (a wiki dictionary), Wikibooks (textbooks), and others, and owns all of their domain names. Previously, the site was hosted on the servers of Bomis, Inc., a company mostly owned by Jimmy Wales. With the announcement of the Wikimedia Foundation on June 20, 2003, the ownership of all domain names was transferred to the Foundation. The site is run by the community of Wikipedians guided by the principles articulated by Jimmy Wales, including, for example, an adherence to a neutral point of view.
- Who owns the encyclopedia articles? The articles hosted on this site have been edited by many people, each of whom has (by editing the article) agreed to release their contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. As such, the articles are free content and may be reproduced freely under this license. See Wikipedia:Copyrights and Wikipedia:Readers' FAQ for information on how you can use Wikipedia content.
- By law, the contributions are still owned by the people who donated them. These people are not bound by the license and can use their property in the way they like. However, media with multiple authors require permission from every contributor to use them differently from the terms of the Wikipedia license.
Who is responsible for the articles on Wikipedia?
- You are! Editing is a collaborative effort. Millions of people have contributed information to different parts of this project, and anyone can do so, including you. All you need is to know how to edit a page, and have some encyclopedic knowledge that you would like to share. The encyclopedia provides users with a certain amount of freedom.
- You can learn who is responsible for the most recent versions of any given page by clicking on the "View history" link. Nevertheless, if you spot an error in the latest revision of an article, you are highly encouraged to be bold and correct it. This practice is one of the basic review mechanisms that maintains the reliability of the encyclopedia. As a result, Wikipedia has become one of the most extensive information libraries available on the Internet.
- If you are uncertain, or find the wording confusing, quote the material on the associated talk page and leave a question for the next person. This helps reduce errors, inaccuracies, or misleading wording more quickly and is highly appreciated by the community.
How can I contact the project?
- See Wikipedia:Contact us for important links and e-mail addresses.
- Given the massively collaborative nature of the project, there is no single point of contact. If you send an e-mail to an individual board or staff member, they will likely just forward it to the group of Wikipedia volunteers who answer reader inquiries. You can reach those volunteers yourself, by e-mailing info-enTemplate:@wikimedia.org.
- Alternatively, if you wish to suggest improvements to a specific article, you can do so via its talk page. Use the talk tab at the top of each article to get to its talk page.
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