Wikipedia

What does Wikipedia mean?

Wikipedia is a multilingual, free, open-source encyclopedia created and maintained by a community of volunteer editors using a Wiki-based editing system. Its articles are written in over 300 languages and cover a wide range of topics, including science, history, geography, culture, art, and technology. Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the world, receiving over 18 billion page views per month.

Wikipedia operates on the wiki model, which allows anyone to edit and contribute to articles. This open and collaborative approach has allowed Wikipedia to grow into a vast and comprehensive Repository of knowledge. However, it also means that Wikipedia articles can be subject to vandalism and misinformation. To address this, Wikipedia has a system of volunteer editors who monitor and review changes to articles.

Applications

Wikipedia has a wide range of applications in technology today. It is a valuable resource for students, researchers, journalists, and anyone else who needs to access information quickly and easily. Wikipedia is also used as a basis for other applications, such as search engines and Natural Language Processing tools.

One of the most important applications of Wikipedia is in education. Wikipedia is a valuable resource for students of all ages, providing access to a wealth of information on a wide range of topics. Wikipedia can be used to supplement classroom learning, provide background information on current events, or simply satisfy curiosity.

Wikipedia is also used extensively in research. Scholars and researchers use Wikipedia to find background information on their research topics, to identify potential sources of information, and to keep up with the latest developments in their Field. Wikipedia can also be used as a starting point for further research, providing links to scholarly articles and other resources.

In addition to its use in education and research, Wikipedia is also used extensively by journalists and other professionals. Journalists use Wikipedia to find background information on stories, to identify potential sources of information, and to verify facts. Wikipedia can also be used as a resource for creating timelines, maps, and other visuals to illustrate stories.

History

Wikipedia was founded in 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. The site was originally intended to be a complement to Nupedia, a peer-reviewed encyclopedia that was also founded by Wales and Sanger. However, Wikipedia quickly grew in popularity, and by 2003 it had surpassed Nupedia in terms of both the number of articles and the number of users.

In the early days, Wikipedia was criticized for its lack of Quality Control. However, over time, the site’s community of volunteer editors has developed a number of policies and practices to ensure the accuracy and reliability of its articles. Wikipedia is now considered to be a credible source of information, and it is used by millions of people around the world.