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Revision as of 04:22, 23 December 2008 view sourceWorldlyWebster (talk | contribs)292 editsm Added commas in series of adjectives. Hyphenated compound adjectives ("open-content", "privately-owned").← Previous edit Revision as of 19:24, 24 December 2008 view source Redd Baron1 (talk | contribs)190 edits ←Replaced content with 'FUCK YOU'Next edit →
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FUCK YOU
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{{Infobox Person
| name = Jimmy Wales
<!-- Commented out in case of future need: | image = Jimmy-wales-frankfurt2005-alih01.jpg -->
| image = JimmyWales April08.jpg
| image_size = 225px
| caption = Jimmy Wales in April 2008
| birth_name = Jimmy Donal Wales
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1966|8|7}}
| birth_place = ], ], ]
| nationality = ]
| other_names = Jimbo, James
| alma_mater = ]<br />]<br />]
| occupation = President of ]; Board member and Chair Emeritus of the ]
| children =
| website = <br />]
}}
<!-- His name is Jimmy and not James; whilst Donal not Donald -->'''Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales''' (born August 7, 1966)<ref name="dob3">
{{cite web
|title=Jimmy Wales
|url= http://www.clerk-of-the-court.com/default.asp
|publisher=Monroe, Florida's County Clerk website (Marriage License Database)
|accessdate=2008-05-21}}
</ref><ref name="dob">
{{cite web
|title=Jimmy Wales
|url= http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1192821/Jimmy-Wales
|work=Britannica Book of the Year
|year=2007
|accessdate=2007-07-25}}
</ref><ref name="dob1">
{{cite book
|title=Current Biography Yearbook
|year=2006
|publisher=H. W. Wilson
|date=February 28, 2007
|isbn=978-0824210748}}
</ref><ref name="dob2">
{{cite book
|title=Who's Who In America: Diamond Edition
|publisher=Marquis Who's Who
|edition=60
|date=October 12, 2005
|isbn=978-0837969909}}
</ref> is an ] ] known for his role in the creation of ], a free, ] ] launched in 2001.<ref name="Economist2008">
{{cite news
|title=Brain scan: The free-knowledge fundamentalist
|url=http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11484062
|work=Technology Quarterly
|publisher= The Economist
|date= 2008-06-05
|accessdate=2008-06-09 }}
</ref><ref name="Andrew Keen">
{{cite news
|first=Andrew
|last=Keen
|title=Andrew Keen on New Media
|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/online/andrew-keen-on-new-media-837997.html
|work=]
|date=2008-06-02
|accessdate=2008-06-08}}
</ref> He serves on the ] of the ], holding the board-appointed "community founder" seat.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://wikimediafoundation.org/Board_of_Trustees/Restructure_Announcement
|title=Board of Trustees/Restructure Announcement
|work=Wikimedia Foundation website
|date=April 26, 2008
|accessdate=2008-04-27
}}
</ref> In 2004, he founded ], a privately-owned, free ].

Although Wales has long been cited as the co-founder of Misplaced Pages, he disputes the "co-" designation,<ref name="Larry_Sanger_Springs_Citizendium"/> asserting that he is "the sole founder of Misplaced Pages".<ref>
Wales, Jimmy (August 28, 2007). . en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on November 4, 2008.
</ref> Wales helped lay the foundation for Misplaced Pages's rapid growth and popularity.<ref name="Michael Singer">
{{cite news
|first=Michael
|last=Singer
|url=http://siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.php/3531_956641
|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20030316/siliconvalley.internet.com/news/article.php/3531_956641
|archivedate=2003-03-16
|title=💕 Project Celebrates Year One
|work=]
|date=January 16, 2002
|accessdate=2008-02-27}}
</ref><ref>Poe, Marshall (September 2006). "", '']''. Retrieved on ].<br /><small>"Wales, though, was a businessman. He wanted to build a 💕, and Misplaced Pages offered a very rapid and economically efficient means to that end. The articles flooded in, many were good, and they cost him almost nothing... Wales’s benign rule has allowed Misplaced Pages to do what it does best: grow. The numbers are staggering."</small>
</ref> As Misplaced Pages expanded and its public profile grew, Wales took on the role of the project's ] and promoter through speaking engagements and media appearances.

His work with Misplaced Pages, which has become the world's largest encyclopedia, prompted '']'' magazine to name him in its 2006 list of the world's most influential people.<ref name=Anderson>Anderson, Chris (April 30, 2006). "". '']''. Retrieved on ].</ref> Wales is the '']'' leader of Misplaced Pages,<ref name="Holden Frith">
{{cite news
|first=Holden
|last=Frith
|url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1571519.ece
|title=Misplaced Pages founder launches rival online encyclopaedia
|publisher=]
|date=March 26, 2007
|accessdate=2008-03-07}}
</ref><ref name="Economist2008"/> where his role in the project has gained broad media attention and has led to controversy.<ref name=Anderson /><ref>
*{{cite news
|url= http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003525473_btwikipedia15.html
|title=He's the "God-King," but you can call him Jimbo
|author=Smith, Wes
|date=January 15, 2007
|work=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*{{cite news
|url= http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=b90a61b6-298d-431f-8648-f255979d3492&k=87006
|author=Evans, Mark
|date=March 2, 2006
|title= Co-founder has learned to roll with the punches
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*{{cite news
|first=Brian
|last=Bergstein
|url=http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1719719,00.html
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080306222102/http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1719719,00.html
|archivedate=2008-03-06
|title=Misplaced Pages's Wales Hit Over Expenses
|work=] ''in partnership with'' ]
|date=March 5, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*{{cite news
|first=Scott Duke
|last=Harris
|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_8459494?nclick_check=1
|title=Misplaced Pages founder dogged by tawdry tales online
|publisher=]
|date=March 5, 2008
|accessdate=2008-03-11}}{{Dead link|date=November 2008}}<!-- Not retrievable through Internet Archive. -->
*Cohen, Noam (March 17, 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on ].</ref>

==Personal life and education==
Wales was born in ], ], ]. His father, Jimmy,<ref>
{{cite web
|author=Kazek, Kelly
|url=http://valdostadailytimes.com/entertainment/cnhinspopculture_story_223174601.html
|title=Geek to chic: Misplaced Pages founder a celebrity
|date=August 11, 2006
|work=The News Courier
|quote=<small>Doris Wales’ husband, Jimmy, wasn’t sure what she was thinking when she bought a World Book Encyclopedia set from a traveling salesman in 1968.</small>}}{{dead link|url=http://valdostadailytimes.com/entertainment/cnhinspopculture_story_223174601.html|date=November 2008}}
</ref> worked as a ] manager while his mother, Doris, and his grandmother, Erma, ran a small ], in the tradition of the ]house, where Wales received his early education. He and only four other children were placed in the same grade, so the school grouped together the first through fourth ] students and the fifth through eighth grade students.<ref name="qanda">
{{cite news
|title=Q&A: Jimmy Wales, Misplaced Pages founder
|author=]
|url= http://www.q-and-a.org/Transcript/?ProgramID=1042
|work=]
|date=September 25, 2005
|accessdate=2006-10-31}}
</ref> After eighth grade, Wales attended ],<ref name = "Randolph">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.randolphschool.net/alumni/welcome/profiles.asp?newsid=432566
|title=Jimmy Wales '83
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|last=Brown
|first=David
|date=]
|work=Alumni Profiles
|publisher=]}}
</ref> a ] in Huntsville. Wales has said that the school was expensive for his family, but that education was regarded as important: "Education was always a passion in my household … you know, the very traditional approach to knowledge and learning and establishing that as a base for a good life."<ref name="qanda"/>

He received his ] in ] from ] and entered the ] finance program at the ] before leaving with a ].<ref name="qanda"/> He then took courses offered in the Ph.D. finance program at ]. He taught at both universities during his ] studies, but did not write the ] required to earn a Ph.D.<ref name="qanda"/>

His first wife, Pam, was quoted in a September 2008 ] article as saying that Wales, because he believed ] was evil, discouraged her from pursuing a nursing degree when they were married: "His whole ‘Mr. Save the World’ is so contrary to what he said every day for seven years."<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2008/09/jimmy_wales
|title=Mr. Know-It-All
|author=Lipsky-Karasz, Alisa
|date=September 2008
|work=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> Late in March 1997, Wales married his second wife, Christine, in Monroe County, Florida.<ref name="FMC">
'''' (Requires paid membership to view). ]. Retrieved on ].
</ref> They have a daughter named Kira and are separated.<ref name=Ryan>
{{cite news
|first=Ryan
|last=Kim
|title=Allegations swirl around Misplaced Pages's Wales
|url= http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/05/BUVFVDM3H.DTL
|work=San Francisco Chronicle
|date=March 5, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> {{As of|2007}}, Wales resided in the ], area.<ref name="Lewine">
{{cite web
|author=Lewine, Edward
|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-domains-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |title=The Encyclopedist’s Lair
|date= November 18, 2007
|work= ]
|accessdate=2008-03-07}}<br />
<sup>'''''C'''''</sup> <small>"Greatest misconception about Misplaced Pages: We aren’t democratic. Our readers edit the entries, but we’re actually quite snobby. The core community appreciates when someone is knowledgeable, and thinks some people are idiots and shouldn’t be writing."</small>
</ref>

Wales had a brief ] with Canadian journalist ] that began after Marsden contacted Wales about her Misplaced Pages biography.{{when}}<ref>
{{cite web
|url= http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/03/02/marsden-breakup.html
|author=The Canadian Press
|publisher=]
|title=Canadian pundit, Misplaced Pages founder in messy breakup
|date=March 2, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> After accusations that Wales' relationship constituted a ], Wales announced in March 2008 on his Misplaced Pages user page (and later on his personal blog) that there had been a relationship but that it was over and that it had not influenced any matters on Misplaced Pages.<ref name="Sydney Morning Herald">
{{cite news
|author=Moses, Ahser
|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/ex-takes-her-revenge-on-mr-wiki/2008/03/04/1204402405901.html
|title=Ex takes her revenge on Mr Misplaced Pages
|work=]
|date=March 4, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref><ref name=USATODAY>
{{cite news
|author=Bergstein, Brian
|url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2008-03-04-wikipedia-wales_N.htm?csp=34
|title=Misplaced Pages's Wales defends breakup, expenses
|work=]
|date=March 5, 2008
|accessdate = 2008-10-31}}
</ref> Marsden claimed to have learned about the breakup by reading about it on Misplaced Pages, and listed for ] auction a T-shirt and sweater which she claimed Wales left behind at her apartment.<ref>
*{{cite news
|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080304.wlbreakup04/BNStory/lifeMain/home
|title=Ms. Marsden's cyberspace breakup: tit-for-tat-for-T-shirt
|author=Agrell, Siri
|work=]
|date=March 4, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*{{cite news
|author=Naughton, Philippe
|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,334652,00.html
|title=Misplaced Pages Founder's Fling With Columnist Ends in Nasty Public Breakup
|publisher=]
|date=March 4, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*{{cite news
|author=Pavia, Will; Philippe Naughton
|url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3475722.ece
|title=Fury of a woman scorned&nbsp;– on Misplaced Pages
|work=]
|date=March 4, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
*Sheehy, Kate (March 4, 2008). "". '']''. Retrieved on ].
</ref><ref name="Sydney Morning Herald"/>

==Career==
===Chicago Options Associates and Bomis===
From 1994 to 2000, Wales was the research director at Chicago Options Associates,<ref name="2.0"/> a ] and ] ] in ].<ref name="qanda"/> By "] on ] and ] ]," he had soon earned enough to "support himself and his wife for the rest of their lives," according to Daniel Pink of '']''.<ref name=bookstopshere>
{{cite news
|url= http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.03/wiki.html?pg=3
|title=The Book Stops Here
|date=March 13, 2005
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|publisher=]
|last=Pink
|first=Daniel H.}}
</ref> During this time, one of the projects Wales undertook was the creation of the ] ],<ref name=bookstopshere/> which featured ] ]s and that, according to '']'', "found itself positioned as the ] of the ]."<ref>
Poe, Marshall (September 1, 2006). "". '']''. Retrieved on ].
</ref> For a time the company sold ],<ref name=accessforall>
{{cite news
| last = Brennen
| first = Jensen
| title = Access for All
| journal = Chronicle of Philanthropy
| volume = 18
| issue = 18
| publisher = Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc.
| location = USA
| date = ] }}
</ref> and Wales described the site as a "guy-oriented search engine" with a similar market to '']''.<ref name="qanda"/> Although Wales is no longer connected with the company, his involvement with Bomis has been criticized,{{attribution needed}} with questions frequently asked about the nature of its content.<ref name="reasonmag">
{{cite news
|last=Mangu-Ward
|first=Katherine
|title=Misplaced Pages and beyond: Jimmy Wales' sprawling vision
|journal=Reason
|volume=39
|issue=2
|page=21
|publisher=Reason Foundation
|date=June 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|url=http://www.reason.com/news/show/119689.html}}
</ref><ref name="wirednews">
{{cite news
|last=Hansen
|first=Evan
|title=Misplaced Pages Founder Edits Own Bio
|work=]
|url=http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69880
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> Bomis provided the initial funding for the ] project.<ref name=bookstopshere/>

===Nupedia and Misplaced Pages===
{{main|History of Misplaced Pages}}
In March 2000, Wales started a ]ed, ] ], ] ("the 💕"), and hired ] to be its ].<ref name="qanda"/> Nupedia was characterized by an extensive peer-review process designed to make its articles of a quality comparable to that of professional encyclopedias.<ref name="Liane Gouthro">
{{cite news
|first=Liane
|last=Gouthro
|title=Building the world's biggest encyclopedia
|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/03/14/nupedia.idg/
|work=]
|publisher=CNN
|date=March 14, 2000
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> After Sanger publicly proposed on January 10, 2001, the idea of using a ] to create an encyclopedia, Wales installed wiki software on a server and authorized Sanger to pursue the project under his supervision. Sanger dubbed the project "Misplaced Pages" and, with Wales, laid down the founding principles and content, establishing an Internet-based community of contributors during that year. Misplaced Pages was initially intended to be a wiki-based site for collaboration on early encyclopedic content for submission to ], but Misplaced Pages's rapid growth quickly overshadowed Nupedia's development.<ref name="2.0">
{{cite news
|first=Tom
|last=McNichol
|title=Building a Wiki World
|url= http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/03/01/8401010/
|work=]
|publisher=CNN
|date=May 1, 2007
|accessdate=2007-10-31}}
</ref> Sanger worked on and promoted both the Nupedia and Misplaced Pages projects until ] discontinued funding for his position in February 2002; Sanger resigned as editor-in-chief of Nupedia and as "chief organizer" of Misplaced Pages on March 1.<ref>Sanger Larry (March 5, 2007). "]". meta.wikimedia.org. Retrieved on ].
</ref><ref>
Terdiman, Daniel (January 6, 2006). "". ]. Retrieved on October 31, 2008.
</ref> Wales has said that he initially was so worried with the concept that he would wake up in the middle of the night, wanting to check the site for ].<ref name="utopia">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16926950/site/newsweek/
|title= In Search of an Online Utopia
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070418204627/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16926950/site/newsweek/ |archivedate=2007-04-18
|publisher=msnbc.msn
|date=February 1, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> In the early years, Wales supplied the financial backing for the project.<ref name="Michael Singer"/> In a 2004 interview with ], Wales explained his motivations about Misplaced Pages, "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing."<ref>
{{cite news
|author=Miller, Rob "Roblimo"
|title=Misplaced Pages Founder Jimmy Wales Responds
|publisher=]
|url= http://interviews.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/07/28/1351230
|date=July 28, 2004
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}</ref>

===Wikimedia Foundation===
In mid-2003, Wales set up the ], a ] founded in ], and now based in ].<ref name=BBCTech>
Twist, Jo (November 5, 2005). "", ]. Retrieved on ].
</ref><ref name="wmfbylaws">
. ]. Retrieved on ].
</ref> Originally ] of the foundation, Wales has held the honorary title of Chairman ] since 2006. He is now one of eight ] who make up its ].<ref name=WMFD>
. ]. Retrieved on ].
</ref> The work he carries out for the foundation has always been unpaid, including his appearances to promote the organization at computer and educational conferences.<ref name=accessforall/> In a 2007 interview, Wales said that he thought that "donating" Misplaced Pages to the foundation was both the "dumbest and the smartest" thing he did. On the one hand, he noted, Misplaced Pages was worth {{USD|3 billion}} (by his estimation); on the other, donating it made possible the success he achieved.<ref name=NEWSCMARKS>
{{cite journal
|last=Marks
|first=Paul
|title=Interview with Jimmy Wales: Knowledge to the people
|format=Video
|journal=New Scientist
|url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19325896.300-interview-knowledge-to-the-people.html
|volume=193
|issue=2589
|pages=44
|publisher=Reed Business Information Ltd.
|date=February 3, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>

In March 2008, Wales was accused by former Wikimedia Foundation employee Danny Wool of subsidizing personal expenditures with foundation funds. Wool also stated that Wales had his Wikimedia ] taken away in part because of his spending habits, though Wales denied this claim.<ref name=Moses>
Moses, Asher (March 5, 2008). "", '']''. Retrieved on ].
</ref> Foundation Chair ] and former foundation interim ] Brad Patrick denied any wrongdoing by Wales or the foundation, saying that Wales accounted for every expense and that, for items for which he lacked receipts, he paid out of his own pocket.<ref name=Ryan/> Later in March 2008, it was alleged by ] that Wales had edited Merkey's Misplaced Pages entry to make it more favorable in return for donations to the Wikimedia Foundation, an allegation Wales dismissed as "nonsense."<ref name="Moses2">{{citeweb|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/more-woes-for-wikipedias-jimmy-wales/2008/03/11/1205125874243.html| title=More woes for Misplaced Pages's Jimmy Wales|date=March 11, 2008|publisher=]|accessdate=2008-03-11|first=Asher|last=Moses}}</ref><ref name="bbcpaidediting">
{{citeweb
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7291382.stm
|title=Wiki boss 'edited for donation'
|date=March 12, 2008
|work=BBC News
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>

===Wikia===
{{main|Wikia}}
In 2004, Wales co-founded, with ], the for-profit company ]<ref name="2.0"/> Wikia is a ]&mdash;a collection of individual ]s on different subjects, all hosted on the same website.<ref name="WikiaMain">. Retrieved on 2008-10-31.</ref> Some of the most popular wikis include ] (devoted to '']''), ] ('']'') and ] ('']'').<ref name=alexa>
*{{cite web| title=wikia.com - Traffic Details from Alexa |url=http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/wikia.com |publisher=Alexa |accessdate=2008-02-10}}
*</ref> Another service offered by Wikia is an ] ] named ], intended to challenge ] and introduce transparency and public dialogue about how it's created into the search engine's operations.<ref name="fastcompany">
{{cite news
|title=Why Is This Man Smiling?
|author=Deutschman, Alan
|url= http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/114/features-why-is-this-man-smiling.html
|work=]
|date=March 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|quote=<small>"Wales revealed that Wikia, his for-profit Silicon Valley startup, was working on Search Wikia, which he touted as "the search engine that changes everything&nbsp;... Just as Misplaced Pages revolutionized how we think about knowledge and the encyclopedia, we have a chance now to revolutionize how we think about search."</small>}}</ref> Wales stepped down as Wikia ] to be replaced by ] ], a former vice president and ] at ], on June 5, 2006.<ref name="CEO">{{cite web|title=Wikia taps eBay exec as CEO|work=]|url=http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2006/06/05/daily9.html| accessdate = 2006-06-05}}</ref>

==Roles of Misplaced Pages creators==
{{further|]}}
Wales has publicly disputed ]'s role as co-founder of Misplaced Pages.<ref name="Marie Boran">
{{cite news
|first=Marie
|last=Boran
|url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single8794
|title=Misplaced Pages disrespects experts says co-founder
|publisher=Silicon Republic
|date=July 16, 2007
|accessdate=2008-08-12}}
</ref>{{vc|date=November 2008}} Wales has asserted that because Sanger was his paid employee,<ref name="uniontribune">
{{cite news
|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041206/news_mz1b6encyclo.html
|first=Jonathan
|last=Sidener
|title =Everyone's Encyclopedia
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|date=December 6, 2004
|work=]
|publisher=]}}
</ref>{{fv|date=November 2008}} he is the sole founder of the project.<ref name="preposterous"/>{{fv|date=November 2008}} In 2006, Wales told '']'' that "it's preposterous" to call Sanger the co-founder.<ref name="preposterous">
{{cite news
|first=David
|last=Mehegan
|title=Bias, sabotage haunt Misplaced Pages's free world
|url= http://boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/02/12/bias_sabotage_haunt_wikipedias_free_world/?page=4
|work=]
|publisher=]
|date=February 12, 2006
|page=4
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> However, Sanger was identified as co-founder at least as early as September 2001 by '']''<ref name="sanger-NYTimes">
{{cite news
|first=Peter
|last=Meyers
|title=Fact-Driven? Collegial? This Site Wants You
|url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E5D6123BF933A1575AC0A9679C8B63
|work=]
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|date=September 20, 2001
|quote=<small>I can start an article that will consist of one paragraph, and then a real expert will come along and add three paragraphs and clean up my one paragraph.</small>}} <small>&mdash;Larry Sanger.</small>
</ref> and was referred to as a founder alongside Wales in ] in 2002.<ref>
{{cite web
|url= http://meta.wikimedia.org/search/?title=Wikipedia_and_why_it_matters&oldid=149626
|author=Sanger, Larry
|date=January 18, 2002
|title=What Misplaced Pages is and why it matters
|work=meta.wikimedia.org
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> In addition to developing Misplaced Pages in its early phase and guiding the project,<ref name="Michael Singer"/><ref name="Larry_Sanger_Springs_Citizendium"/> Sanger was responsible for the idea of applying the ] concept to the building of a ], and for the name "Misplaced Pages".<ref name="Larry_Sanger_Springs_Citizendium"/><ref name="knowitall"/> In a 2005 memoir for ], Sanger nevertheless ascribed the broader idea to Wales: "To be clear, the idea of an open source, collaborative encyclopedia, open to contribution by ordinary people, was entirely Jimmy's, not mine, and the funding was entirely by Bomis. … The actual development of this encyclopedia was the task he gave me to work on."<ref>
{{cite news
|author=Sanger, Larry
|title=The Early History of Nupedia and Misplaced Pages: A Memoir
|work=]
|url= http://features.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/04/18/164213
|date=April 18, 2005
|accessdate=2005-10-31}}
</ref> In response to Wales' statement,{{specify}}<ref name="Dan_Mitchell">
{{cite news
|first=Dan
|last=Mitchell
|title=Insider Editing at Misplaced Pages
|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/24/technology/24online.ready.html?ex=1293080400&en=431aff478b00239e&ei=5090
|work=]
|publisher=The New York Times Company
|date=December 24, 2005
|accessdate=2007-10-31}}
</ref> Sanger posted on his personal webpage a collection of statements confirming his role in founding Misplaced Pages, by referencing earlier versions of Misplaced Pages pages, citing Misplaced Pages press releases, and linking to early media coverage, all of which described Wales and Sanger as the co-founders.<ref name="SangerLinks">
{{cite web
|url=http://www.larrysanger.org/roleinwp.html
|title=My role in Misplaced Pages (links)
|author=Sanger, Larry
|work=larrysanger.org
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> In a discussion in March 2007 with ] of the ], Wales said: "When you write this up please do not uncritically repeat Sanger's absurd claim to be the co-founder of Misplaced Pages." He added: "I am not bent out of shape about it. The facts are on my side, which is why I bother so little about it."<ref name="Larry_Sanger_Springs_Citizendium">
{{cite news
|first=Brian
|last=Bergstein
|title=Sanger says he co-started Misplaced Pages
|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17798723/
|work=]
|publisher=Associated Press
|date=March 25, 2007
|accessdate=2007-03-26
|quote=<small>The nascent Web encyclopedia Citizendium springs from Larry Sanger, a philosophy Ph.D. who counts himself as a co-founder of Misplaced Pages, the site he now hopes to usurp. The claim does not seem particularly controversial—Sanger has long been cited as a co-founder. Yet the other founder, Jimmy Wales, is not happy about it.</small>}}
</ref> Wales' role in the Misplaced Pages community has been described as "] for life."<ref>
{{cite web
|author=King, Ian
|url=http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/KingsCorner/
|date=March 2, 2007
|title='A Wiki web they've woven'
|publisher=vancouver.24hrs.ca
|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070302123251/http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Columnists/KingsCorner/
|archivedate=2007-03-02}}
</ref>

==Editing of own Misplaced Pages biography==
In late 2005, Wales edited his own ] entry on the ]. Writer ] drew attention to logs showing that in his edits to the page, Wales had removed references to Sanger as the co-founder of Misplaced Pages.<ref name="cadenhead">
{{cite web
|url= http://workbench.cadenhead.org/news/2828/wikipedia-founder-looks-out-number-1
|first=Rogers
|last=Cadenhead
|date=December 19, 2005
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|title=Misplaced Pages Founder Looks Out for Number 1
|publisher=cadenhead.org}}
</ref> Sanger commented that "having seen edits like this, it does seem that Jimmy is attempting to rewrite history. But this is a futile process because in our brave new world of transparent activity and maximum communication, the truth will be out."<ref name="wirednews"/><ref name="timesonline">
{{cite web
|url= http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article774973.ece
|first=Rhys
|last=Blakely
|date=December 20, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|title=Misplaced Pages founder edits himself
|work=]}}
</ref> Wales was also observed to have modified references to ] in a way that was characterized as downplaying the sexual nature of some of his former company's products.<ref name="wirednews"/> An article in the July 31, 2006, issue of '']'' magazine expanded on this topic, stating that Wales was "caught airbrushing his Misplaced Pages entry—eighteen times in the past year" and that he was "sensitive about references to the porn traffic on his Web portal".<ref name="knowitall">
{{cite news
|title= Know It All
|url= http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/31/060731fa_fact
|publisher =]
|date=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}<br />
<sup>'''''b'''''</sup> <small>Even Wales has been caught airbrushing his Misplaced Pages entry—eighteen times in the past year. He is particularly sensitive about references to the porn traffic on his Web portal. 'Adult content' or 'glamour photography' are the terms that he prefers, though, as one user pointed out on the site, they are perhaps not the most precise way to describe lesbian strip-poker threesomes. (In January, Wales agreed to a compromise: ''erotic photography'').</small></ref>

In both cases, Wales argued that his modifications were solely intended to improve the accuracy of the content.<ref name="wirednews"/> He apologized for editing his own biography, a practice generally frowned upon at Misplaced Pages. Wales said in the '']'' interview, "People should not do it, including me. I wish I had not done it."<ref name="wirednews"/>

Wales had previously edited his entries on Misplaced Pages and on the Wikimedia Foundation's website in 2004 to indicate his ] is August 7, 1966.<ref name="original_birthday">
{{cite news
|first=Jimbo
|last=Wales
|title=Edit by Jimbo Wales at Wikimedia Foundation
|url=http://wikimediafoundation.org/search/?title=Board_of_Trustees&diff=prev&oldid=406
|publisher=Wikimedia Foundation
|date=September 18, 2004
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> He also made a statement in 2006 in which he wrote in part: "My date of birth is not August 8, 1966."<ref name="DOBnot080866">
{{cite news
|title=Edit in which Wales claim birth date is not August 8, 1966
|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Talk%3AJimmy_Wales&diff=63246911&oldid=63223187
|publisher=Misplaced Pages
|date=July 11, 2006
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> The '']'', '']'', and '']'' support these statements.<ref name="dob"/><ref name="dob1"/><ref name="dob2"/> According to a researcher’s note on the Britannica’s website in June 2007, Wales contacted ''Britannica'' claiming that the date of August 7, 1966, was incorrect but was unwilling to provide them with a documented alternative, unless his birth date was removed, which violated ''Britannica's'' policies.<ref name="researchers_note">
{{cite news
|title=Researcher's note: Jimmy Wales's date of birth
|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1192821/Jimmy-Wales
|publisher=]
|date=September 18, 2004
|accessdate=2007-08-08}}
</ref> On July 27, 2007, when asked by ] reporter Mike Rogoway when his birthday was, Wales is reported to have mysteriously stated, "Nobody knows."<ref name="Rogoway">
Rogoway, Mike (July 27, 2007). "", ''Silicon Forest''. '']''. Retrieved on ].<br />Note: In his blog, Wales .
</ref> Moreover, on his blog, Rogoway claimed that a Florida public records search shows that Wales’ ] lists his date of birth as August 8, 1966.<ref name="dob"/> In August 2007, Wales expanded on this in his Misplaced Pages talk page by stating that the quotes in ''The Oregonian'' are correct and that the ''Current Biography'' article was "riddled with massive errors".<ref name="DOB">Wales, J. . '']'', 2007-08-07. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.</ref>

==Personal philosophy==
Wales is a self-avowed "] to the core", and named his daughter Kira after the heroine in ]'s debut novel '']'',<ref name="fastcompany"/> although he says "I think I do a better job — than a lot of people who self-identify as Objectivists — of not pushing my point of view on other people."<ref>
{{cite web
|author=Sirius, R.U.
|url= http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/01/29/wikipedia-jimmy-wales-rusirius-google-objectivism/
|title= Jimmy Wales Will Destroy Google
|work=]
|date=July 29, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> When asked by ] in his appearance on ]'s '']''{{when?}} about Rand, Wales cited "the virtue of independence" as important to him personally. When asked if he could trace "the Ayn Rand connection" to having a political philosophy at the time of the interview, Wales reluctantly labeled himself a ], qualifying his remark by referring to the United States ] as "lunatics" and citing "freedom, liberty, basically individual rights, that idea of dealing with other people in a matter that is not initiating force against them" as his guiding principles.<ref name="qanda"/> From 1992 to 1996, he ran the electronic mailing list "Moderated Discussion of Objectivist Philosophy".<ref>
{{cite newsgroup
|author=Wales, Jimmy
|title=Re: Objectivism of Ayn Rand
|date=September 23, 1992
|newsgroup=talk.philosophy.misc
|id=Bv1u8x.Bnv@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu
|url= http://groups.google.com/group/talk.philosophy.misc/msg/8c5e626c70a213f8
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref> An interview with Wales served as the cover feature of the June 2007 issue of the libertarian magazine '']''.<ref name="reasonmag" />

==Honors, awards and positions==
]]]
*Mid-2005 &mdash; Wales is appointed as a member of the ] at ].<ref name="qanda"/>
* October 3, 2005 &mdash; according to a press release, Wales joins the ] of ], a provider of ] technology to businesses.<ref>
{{cite press release
|title=Jimmy Wales Joins Socialtext Board of Directors; Misplaced Pages Founder to Advise Leader in Enterprise Wiki Solutions
|publisher=SocialText
|date=October 3, 2005
|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_-142005_Oct_3/ai_n15657890
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>
* 2006 &mdash; Wales joins the Board of Directors of the ] ].<ref>
{{cite news
|author=Garlick, Mia
|title=Creative Commons Adds Two New Board Members
|date=March 30, 2006
|publisher=]
|accessdate=2008-10-31
|url= http://creativecommons.org/press-releases/entry/5840}}
</ref>
* May 8, 2006 &mdash; Wales was listed in the "Scientists & Thinkers" section of the special edition of '']'' magazine ("The lives and ideas of the world's most influential people"), listing ].<ref name=Anderson/>
* June 3, 2006 &mdash; Wales receives an ] from ].<ref>
"", knox.edu. Retrieved on ].
</ref>
* May 3, 2006 &mdash; The ] awards him a ].<ref>
{{cite news
|url= http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/14632
|title=EFF Honors Craigslist, Gigi Sohn, and Jimmy Wales with Pioneer Awards
|date=April 28, 2006
|work=Kansas City infoZine News
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>
* 2006 &mdash; appointed to the advisory board of the ].<ref>
"", cci.mit.edu. Retrieved on ].
</ref>
* January 23, 2007 &mdash; '']'' magazine ranks Wales twelfth in its first annual "The Web Celebs 25".<ref>
{{cite news
|url= http://www.forbes.com/2007/01/23/internet-fame-celebrity-tech-media-cx_de_06webceleb_0123intro.html
|title=The Web Celeb 25
|first=David M.
|last=Ewalt
|date=January 23, 2007
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>
* 2007 &mdash; recognized by the ] as one of the 'Young Global Leaders' of 2007.<ref>
{{cite news
|url= http://icommonssummit.org/speakers/2008/04/jimmy-wales.html
|title=Participants > Speakers > Jimmy Wales
|publisher=iCommonsSummit.org
|year=2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>
* 2008 &mdash; ] awards him The Global Brand Icon of the Year Award for 2008.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.mattbaily.ca/news/2008/09/14/corum-jimmy-wales-global-brand-icon-of-the-year-award/
|title=Corum announces Jimmy Wales as The Global Brand Icon of the Year Award
|publisher=MattBaily.ca
|date=September 14, 2008
|accessdate=2008-10-31}}
</ref>
* 2008 &mdash; receives the ] award of Werkstatt Deutschland for ''A Mission of Enlightenment'' representing the Wikimedia-project along with ], ] and ]. The award was presented by ].<ref>
"", loomarea.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-31.
</ref>
* October 30, 2008 &mdash; awarded the Business Process Award at the 7th Annual Innovation Awards and Summit by '']'' "for public collaboration as a form of product and content development."<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=10676339
|title=The Economist Innovation Awards and Summit
|publisher=economist.com
|date=October 30, 2008
|accessdate=2008-11-08}}
</ref>

==Published work==
*Brooks, Robert; Jon Corson & Jimmy Donal Wales (1994). "". ''Advances in Futures and Options Research'', volume 7.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{| cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 style="float:right; margin:0;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{wikinews|Category:Jimmy Wales|Jimmy Wales}}
{{wikisource-author}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{commonscat|Jimmy Wales}}
|}
* , Wales' official blog
* ] at the ]<!-- please do not make this an internal link; see ] and this article's talk page for reasons -->
* {{imdb name|id=2467065|name=Jimmy Wales}}
* {{cite video
|people = Jimmy Wales
|year2 = 2006
|title = Video Presentation by Jimmy Wales
|url = http://www.archive.org/download/wikipedia-academy-2006-jimmy-wales/wikipedia-academy-2006-jimmy-wales.ogg
|format = ogg vorbis
|publisher = Misplaced Pages Academy
|accessdate = 2008-10-31
|time = 58 minutes
|medium = 152Mb}}<!--The origin page for this file is here , but on that page the video file is incorrectly labeled with an audio header which is why it is not link to the html page. In fact, this file is incorrectly filed well away from the other videos from the Misplaced Pages Academy 2006 at archive.org. User:Berean Hunter-->

{{Wikipediahistory}}

<!-- Metadata: see ] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME = Wales, Jimmy
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Wales, Jimbo
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = American Internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Misplaced Pages
|DATE OF BIRTH = August 7, 1966
|PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ], ]
|DATE OF DEATH =
}}
{{Lifetime|1966|living|Wales, Jimmy}}
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Revision as of 19:24, 24 December 2008

FUCK YOU