January 4, 2009 by James Oliver
Through a statement from their director of communications, the Wikipedia foundation, who run the hugely successful online encyclopaedia, have categorically stated that founder Jimmy Wales is not out of a job. There had been reports over the weekend, initially from popular Silicon Valley blog ‘Valleywag,’ that Wales had ceased to be a member of the board, though according to Wikipedia, “There’s nothing to it.”
Valleywag didn’t cite a single source, though the report was enough to spread rumours across the online world of board level unrest at Wikipedia, possibly because Owen Thomas, the blog’s editor seemed particularly sure, see below.
“Imagine an online encylopedia anyone can edit – and no one can run. Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s cofounder, is no longer a board member of the site’s nonprofit foundation. Who’s in charge here?”
The site apparently felt the situation was serious enough to warrant a very sturdy defence of their founder, with Sue Gardner publicly singing Wales’s praises, “Jimmy is a much-valued board member of the Wikipedia Foundation, and I expect he will hold that role permanently.”
Say what you like about the world of blogging but it’s actually fairly rare that a story is broken on an established blog with absolutely relation to the truth. However, I suspect that’s what’s happened here. Relax general knowledge fans, there is no melt-down at Wikipedia.
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While it is true that it is fairly rare in the blogosphere generally, this is not the blogosphere generally: this is Owen Thomas and Valleywag. This kind of outrageous bullshit is routine for them.
Comment by Some guy — January 4, 2009 @ 8:56 pm