So I donated to Wiki. Why do I feel guilty afterwards? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 07:17:38 am
content: So I fell for it and donated a single time $10 to Wiki. I would not say that I am feeling buyers remorse, but the closest thing I can say is I feel guilty somehow now. Wonder why that is....

author: rollatorwieltje
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 10:14:43 am
content: Maybe because in their donation requests they make it seem as if they are on the edge financially, but in reality they have quite a large reserve (about 1 year's expenses) and they keep expanding staff, requiring an even bigger reserve. In perspective they aren't doing bad at all (200+ staff, compared to the 4k of Twitter and 10k of Facebook), but compared to a few years ago it has all the smells of an employment program instead of keeping the core business running.I have donated as well. The value for money is still very good and I wouldn't want to see Wikipedia go away, but I do hope they stop inflating too much. Let's face it, their core business expenses are only about 10% of the money they raise. Hosting is dirt cheap and their software is open source and quite actively maintained by the community (120 authors and 3000 commits in 6 months according to the latest changelog).

author: Srbel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 11:24:03 am
content: Don't worry, Propagandopedia is well founded.

author: Dagon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 11:40:32 am
content: This time last year they were sitting on $27m in cash. So they are not exactly on the bread line.Haven't looked at the details this year.

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 12:24:39 pm
content: Quote from: calexanian on November 27, 2015, 07:17:38 amMaybe after reading an article about how a small circle of powers_that_be arbitrarely controll all edits from newer writers?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 01:01:36 pm
content: Quote from: Galenbo on November 27, 2015, 12:24:39 pmI agree. I'm not going to donate until they have a page which describes the 'wiki nazi'.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 01:39:19 pm
content: I've donated the last few years.I use it a lot, so it's good to give back.Keeping that infrastructure going takes money.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2015, 01:49:29 pm
content: I use them quite a bit as well, donated small amounts several times over the years, no regrets.

author: ivaylo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 07:48:04 am
content: I am donating from time to time. Was really turned off by the teary story of their executive directorhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila_Tretikovwho wanted to get that job because she appreciated the value of open information when she saw the Chernobil disaster. When she was 6 years old...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 08:10:09 am
content: A lot of people complain about Wikipedia, many even say they refuse to use it. I'm willing to bet they are lying.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 08:17:19 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 27, 2015, 01:39:19 pmNo, it doesn't. FFS they even get some bandwidth and server equipment donated!I really hate the way the donation requests are worded. It makes it sound like, if you don't give them money they're going to go black the next day. In reality they have well over a years worth of runway.Sent from my Tablet

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 08:49:34 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on November 28, 2015, 08:39:50 amI don't mind them asking, it's the sleazy way in which they do donation drives. They make it seem like they're almost out of money and are about to go dark. They literally say, "Help us keep the lights on!"If someone talks about having trouble keeping the lights on, they're saying they can't keep up with (or are behind on) the bills and are on the verge of going under.That's not the case with Wikipedia. If donations stopped completely today, they could operate for at least a year. That's actually a pretty significant runway for an internet based NPO.I'm not sure what other significant infrastructure costs they have, besides hosting. Maybe if they stopped hiring so many people, the money would last longer! (Seriously, why do they need hundreds of people on staff?! What do they do?!)Sent from my Tablet

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 09:11:14 am
content: Quote from: timb on November 28, 2015, 08:17:19 amYes it does.https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/2014-2015_Annual_Plan_Questions_and_AnswersQuotehttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/e/e0/2014-15_Wikimedia_Foundation_Plan.pdfThe majority of their costs (42%) are in Products & Engineering.QuoteSounds like a smart and normal business operating plan to me. If you are operating with near zero cash balance then you are running an organisation that is destined to fail.Only a fool would have that money in the bank and then say "thanks, no more donations needed" and then blow it all in the next year and hope everyone donates again.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 10:22:27 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 28, 2015, 09:11:14 amStop putting words in my mouth. I specifically said I don't mind them asking for donations. It's the way they word them that feels slimey.Also, Product Development. Really? What product are they developing, exactly? I spent 15 years in IT, I know how much hosting and associated support costs.They are a Wiki. Why do they need hundreds of people on staff? It doesn't make sense.Sent from my Tablet

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2015, 10:44:33 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 28, 2015, 08:10:09 amYou have to admit that information gets harder and harder to find because there are so many different pages which more or less describe the same. I was just looking for a formula to calculate the length of a spark gap. I found many pages but none of which was actually useful.

author: Tim F
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 01:14:54 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on November 28, 2015, 10:44:33 pmI've found the same problem on more than one occasion. Pages are too often unnecessarily subdivided, and the 'sub-pages' (for lack of a better term) get poor exposure in a google search.

author: jwm_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 04:20:15 am
content: I have a standing donation of $1k and feel it is low for what wikipedia does. I have no idea why one would feel guilty about it.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 07:04:01 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on November 28, 2015, 10:44:33 pmYou do know you can edit it yourself, right?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 07:16:01 am
content: Quote from: timb on November 28, 2015, 10:22:27 pmStop putting words in my mouth.I didn't. I was commenting on your sentence that they have a years worth of "runway" (money) on tap.QuoteI was not commenting on that. I should have removed it from your quote.QuoteThe hideously complex Wikipedia engine for starters.It's not just a standard stock install of Wikimedia.Read the report I posted.https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/foundation/e/e0/2014-15_Wikimedia_Foundation_Plan.pdfAnd this one for the Products/Engineering team:https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Engineering/2014-15_GoalsQuoteMore than IT obviously. I think you'd be very surprised.

author: SteveLy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2015, 07:19:13 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 27, 2015, 01:39:19 pmI feel the same way. It's been a consistently useful resource worth supporting.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2015, 03:31:43 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 29, 2015, 07:04:01 amThat would be a waste of time. But there is hope on the horizon! I just read a news article which says that the wikinazis are scaring too many volunteers away so they don't have the resources to check all the articles. Now they are turning to AI to try and make things better.Article:http://www.technologyreview.com/news/544036/artificial-intelligence-aims-to-make-wikipedia-friendlier-and-better/