Earlier today the Washington D.C. based creative agency JESS3 posted the video above, and an informative web case study, www.thestateofwikipedia.com – a follow-up to another recent case study they did on another big idea, the Internet. JESS3 (also donors to the Wikimedia Foundation) folks Leslie Bradshaw and Becca Colbaugh on the inspiration for the work:

In a collaborative effort to capture a historic moment in time for Wikipedia, we announced this morning “The State of Wikipedia,” a digital short aimed at teaching the layperson Wikipedia’s initial concept and consequent evolution into becoming one of the most visited web sites across the globe.
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We look forward to see what the next 10 years hold for Wikipedia and how it will continue to help add contours, diversity and permanency to information the world over.

They were supported by long-time Wikipedian William Beutler, and the voice you might recognize is none other than the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales. The video is CC-BY-SA (it can be downloaded from Vimeo – Commons link as soon as we have it), which means anyone around the world can use, re-use, and share this great work that tells the story of our project and our movement.

A big thanks to JESS3 for taking the considerable time to put this story together. We think it will make a big difference in helping people talk about our big projects and the complex world of the Wikimedia movement. A great Wikipedia 10 birthday gift!

Jay Walsh, Communications

People throughout the world are gathering at more than 450 events in 120 countries to celebrate Wikipedia’s 10th birthday.  I’m amazed and thrilled and humbled by the significant support Wikipedia has in every corner of the world.  When I started Wikipedia a decade ago, I  never imagined that everyday people in places like Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Algeria would come together to celebrate Wikipedia in such an extraordinary way.

In ten years, Wikipedia has become so much to so many people.  Millions of people came together because they believed that access to free information was important and needed.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Thank you to the editors, donors and supporters. Thank you to those who believed in our mission and helped us along the way.  It’s because of you that Wikipedia exists: thank you for believing in the power of ordinary people to come together to do something remarkable.

It’s my hope that more people are now inspired to join the movement and help us reach our mission: a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.  I look forward to working with all of you over the next ten years to reach our goal.
Happy birthday, Wikipedia!

–Jimbo

Ten years ago today, Jimmy Wales typed Hello World! into a wiki, and Wikipedia was born.

Today, Wikipedia’s the fifth most-popular site on the internet, and the only site in the top 25 that provides a wholly non-commercial public service, backed by a non-profit. It’s the largest collection of information ever assembled in human history: free to use, and free of advertising. If you’re reading it, it’s for you :-)

The anniversary’s an opportunity for us all to reflect on Wikipedia: its social impact, and what we want to accomplish in the next ten years. There’s been a lot of thoughtful media coverage over the past few weeks: you can read a lot of it here.

What makes me happy about the coverage is that it seems like people’s attitudes towards Wikipedia have finally turned an important corner.

In its early years, Wikipedia was one of our culture’s dirty little secrets: everybody used it, but very few were comfortable saying so. For the longest time, the only people who openly admitted loving Wikipedia were early adopters and iconoclasts.

Today though, journalists, educators and culture critics are finally embracing Wikipedia, acknowledging that its strengths vastly outweigh its weaknesses, and that its fundamental premise works. (A reporter told me the other day that mocking Wikipedia is “so 2007.” LOL.)

So today, we celebrate all the people who built this extraordinary thing. The engineers who made the code. The people who write the articles, fix the typos, smooth the text, localize the software, answer readers’ mail, and fight off vandals and POV-pushers. The donors, who pay the bills.

I invite you to check out this page, where there are listed (at last count) 454 Wikipedia anniversary parties, conferences, film screenings and other events. If you can come to one –even if you’ve never edited or even ever met a Wikipedian– please do!

And if you can’t be with us in person, why not do a little celebratory editing? Wikipedia wants your help: here’s a really great place to get started.

Thank you to everyone who’s helped to build Wikipedia. What you’ve done is amazing. Happy anniversary!

Sue Gardner, Executive Director

Today we’ve seen a wide range of media outlets around the world cover the news about Wikipedia’s 10th anniversary.  Some stories recount the history of the project from its humble beginnings, and others collect the viewpoints of big thinkers on the topic of web and technology.  The Foundation’s Executive Director also published an op-ed piece in the Guardian that looks into the project and its pioneer beginnings. It’s wonderful to see so many media outlets, blogs, and great institutions probe deeply into the stories of Wikipedia, and start to ask big questions about Wikipedia’s considerable impact on society and the internet.

Wikipedia 10 celebrators around the world are documenting the coverage on ten.wikipedia.org, a wiki specially created for the occasion. Some of the highlights of the day:

The Times of India out of Bangalore discusses Wikipedia’s push for more local language content.

The Atlantic from New York prepared a wide-ranging package of content about the anniversary, including insights from Wikimedia advisory board members Craig Newmark, Jay Rosen, Clay Shirky, and Ethan Zuckerman.

Read Write Web asks readers what Wikipedia will look like in ten years.

The Washington Post featured a lengthy piece on the history and future of Wikipedia, including an interview with Jimmy Wales.

Italy’s La Repubblica covered the occasion, and made a visit to the Foundation’s San Francisco offices earlier this week.

Wired UK and the US Wired are in the midst of ‘Wikipedia week‘ and have included some great Wikipedia lists.

The Guardian‘s feature op-ed by Wikimedia ED Sue Gardner ran earlier today.

We’ll update the media coverage page over the next week as more global coverage emerges, and as we cross the threshold of the big anniversary.

Jay Walsh
Communications

We’re only a few days away from celebrating Wikipedia’s 10th anniversary on Saturday, January 15th, and today the Wikimedia Foundation has officially announced it to the world.

Recently, I let you know that there were about 65 events happening. Today, there are more than 300. That growth is amazing, and as usual the dedication and creativity of the volunteers that make Wikipedia work is nothing short of astounding.

Numbers alone really fail to tell the story of just what we’re doing to commemorate “Wikipedia Day” in 2011 though. Of the hundreds of events on six continents, they all demonstrate a passion for free knowledge. Many more events combine our movement’s unique mission with activities that really suit the local community. From a Campus Party in São Paulo to a workshop and kite flying festival in Bangladesh, all of these events are powerful examples of the diversity we’re striving for in our movement. Many of these events have their own localized 10th anniversary designs – the Chinese Wikipedia 10 logo on this post is one.

I encourage you to browse the full list of events on ten.wikipedia.org, and to include editors, readers, and donors as you reflect on Wikipedia’s first 10 years. Wherever or however you choose to celebrate, this is a historic moment, and we’d like to thank you for making it happen.

Steven Walling
Community Dept. Fellow

In one month, Wikipedia will observe its 10th anniversary. On and around January 15th 2011, we will celebrate with volunteers, donors, and other supporters on six continents. From the launch of a new outreach project in Kenya to a film screening in Tel Aviv, there are currently 65 events of all kinds you can attend.

The complete list of anniversary activities can be found at ten.wikipedia.org, the public collaboration space where we’re cataloging everything the Wikipedia community is doing to commemorate our first decade. Most events are free to attend or very low cost. All are open to participation by anyone who wants to join in reflecting on our collective accomplishments and goals for the future.

The Wikimedia Foundation would like to thank those who are hosting celebrations by sending free 10th anniversary merchandise. These kits of t-shirts, stickers, and buttons are already starting to be shipped and come in a variety of colors and styles. If you’re planning something but haven’t yet listed it on the wiki and contacted us, now is the time to do so.

We’re very excited to see 65 distinct events taking place, and we hope you’ll attend one near you. But Wikipedia has always been an online community before anything else. That’s why we’re providing an opportunity for you to share your stories from Wikipedia’s first 10 years in many different forms. Please be bold, because we definitely want to hear your ideas for making the 10th anniversary one to remember.

The first event to kick off the celebrations will actually be on December 19th, at a Wikipedia party and fundraiser in London. We’ll be keeping you updated here on the events as we get closer to the anniversary, so keep an eye out for more news soon.

Steven Walling
Community Dept. fellow