Wikipedia Sucks!

10+ years ago I predicted this would happen. They would become REALLY desperate to keep growing--and start sending bills to their biggest scrapers.

https://www.wired.com/story/wikipedia-f ... to-pay-up/
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/16/2233 ... edge-boxes

The Wikimedia Foundation is creating a new paid service for companies that draw on Wikipedia data. The foundation announced the news today via an article in Wired, and it’s planning to launch later in 2021. Wikimedia Enterprise, as it’s called, won’t change how current Wikipedia services work. Instead, it will offer new options for companies that use its content, a category including giants like Google and Facebook.

And I will put down $100 that says some little shits at Google and FB are already harassing WMF management for "daring" to charge more money for extra access. (BTW, I also will bet you this "special API extension" will make it easier for those corporations to manicure their own WP content.)

Plus this at the end.

“We’re going to need more resources, more partners, and more allies if we are going to achieve the goals implicit in our vision statement.” And starting later this year, that could include paid partnerships with the internet’s biggest companies.

I give it 5 years before they start running third-party advertising.

https://news.slashdot.org/story/21/03/1 ... -to-pay-up
As usual, Slashdot nerds still think it's a-okay. With exceptions.

It is an excellent starting point for almost any research. It does have pretty good standards and editing pages is not hard if you know most of the rules. As an engineering it is just as accurate as most text books and better than most published papers. I don't care if they are sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars, I still donate and feel I get my value out of my donations. They are a free resource. If I donate my time to a page I expect them to be free for everyone. I do not think they should be charging google for my work. That wasn't the deal when I did the volunteer work.

Plus, its "odd" how Maher put in her notice, and a few weeks later this scheme starts making the rounds. I wonder if she opposed it and the board told her to take a hike? "We need MOAR $$$, we have to KEEP GROWING OR DIE" etc.

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise wrote:The full corpus of Wikimedia content always has been, and will continue to be, made available for reuse in various forms (including but not limited to database dumps, APIs, and scraping) at no cost.

i wonder what's stopping someone who would use this service from using an API on a copy of "the full corpus" of Wikipedia via the database dumps. i mean what's stopping Amazon, Google, Yahoo etcetera from downloading a dump and using an API on that?

badmachine wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:09 am

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Enterprise wrote:The full corpus of Wikimedia content always has been, and will continue to be, made available for reuse in various forms (including but not limited to database dumps, APIs, and scraping) at no cost.

i wonder what's stopping someone who would use this service from using an API on a copy of "the full corpus" of Wikipedia via the database dumps. i mean what's stopping Amazon, Google, Yahoo etcetera from downloading a dump and using an API on that?

Probably because of real-time updates. Most of us are probably aware that WP:NOTNEWS is not only not enforced, but is effectively the opposite of de facto policy.

Since data dumps are only updated monthly or bimonthly, they would be useful for real-time events and news, which I imagine would make up a significant amount of their traffic.

Instead of blocking people for minor, ridiculous things, they could raise money imposing a fine. A fine for blasphemy, etc.

SkepticalHistorian wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 19, 2023 6:16 pm

Instead of blocking people for minor, ridiculous things, they could raise money imposing a fine. A fine for blasphemy, etc.

Believe me....they would, if they could reliably force money out of blocked editors. Be happy they don't have a "special government dispensation" to make money and be a monopoly, like Major League Baseball.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_B ... nal_League

SkepticalHistorian wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 19, 2023 6:16 pm

Instead of blocking people for minor, ridiculous things, they could raise money imposing a fine. A fine for blasphemy, etc.

they should start blackmailing people for money

"you're getting banned kiddo if you don't pay up"

account wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 19, 2023 10:45 pm

SkepticalHistorian wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 19, 2023 6:16 pm

Instead of blocking people for minor, ridiculous things, they could raise money imposing a fine. A fine for blasphemy, etc.

they should start blackmailing people for money

"you're getting banned kiddo if you don't pay up"

I think it probably be implemented as payed unbans.

Haha, I made a good faith donation to the Wikimedia Foundation of $6.66 with a promise to donate more and leave a legacy if they unblock me!

Did I just dox myself?

SkepticalHistorian wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 20, 2023 3:58 am

Haha, I made a good faith donation to the Wikimedia Foundation of $6.66 with a promise to donate more and leave a legacy if they unblock me!

Did I just dox myself?

Maybe they could set up a referral program. Manipulate three elderly people into giving their wills to the WMF and they'll unblock you. Ten and they'll make you an admin.