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Jimmy Wales - Wikipedia and Wikia

Thursday, November 29th, 2007 – running time 14:16
He founded Wikipedia and Wikia... is Jimmy Wales about to launch a Facebook killer? Om and Joyce get the scoop. Plus, how real are the rumors around Google's gDrive?

Meet Jimmy Wales, the man behind Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia with over two million online articles, and Wikia.

When asked how Jimmy Wales got started, he refers back to the years studying game theory in graduate school. "The questions on how people interact and how social rules can impact the community. That kind of thinking has always informed my thinking about designing social spaces online."

Wales believes simplicity is key to building an intuitive social network website. Which is why sites like Wikipedia and Facebook work so well in the social community.

With a recent Wikia-Facebook like screenshot making its way through the web, will Wikia become like Facebook? No. Wales explains that they are working on an open source free license search engine that could launch in December.

Hitlines:

Gdrive? Is Google launching an online storage space? The WSJ reports that Google could be ready to release a free and paid online storage service to its endusers. For the record, Om is a big fan of Box.net, a company that provides online storage that will most likely be similar to Google's anticipated Gdrive. Om and Joyce believe Google's online storage service is apart of their grand goal of Cloud Computing.

Verizon Wireless opens its doors to developers? This week, Verizon Wireless announced that they would allow developers to create software for their nationwide wireless network.

Om says, "In theory, its a pretty good idea."

This is probably a PR ploy due to Verizon's possible bid for the FCC's 700 mhz spectrum. Could Google have inspired Verizon to open up it's wireless development platform?

Highlights
search engine ( 6:47, 6:54, 6:56, 6:47, 6:54, 6:56 ) Open source ( 6:54, 6:54 ) New York ( 9:55, 9:55 ) interest rates ( 3:12, 3:12 ) search engine ( 6:47, 6:54, 6:56, 6:47, 6:54, 6:56 ) Open source ( 6:54, 6:54 ) New York ( 9:55, 9:55 ) interest rates ( 3:12, 3:12 )

Automatically Generated Transcript(may not be 100% accurate) ( more )

" Hey welcome to -- GigaOM show I've -- she's curious. And give back -- Thanksgiving."

" You know brand new studio -- on -- construction but we're in a new homes and that's that. Did you have fun and Thanksgiving I did I did I think that you actually in the whole family so let's get the Kim family yes. And starring Kim is on him that's going to the show from now on. I'm believe have a little good news trickling out after the Thanksgiving holidays first one being more info on the teacher. And who move storage space exactly. I NG drive as a parent I think she drives and so the whole idea is that who is going through offering a little different -- and then more for paid storage online have. Of any types of files documents. Photos -- one night I feel what one very well with their documents program -- and all those other systems they have."

" You know it's a funny thing -- there's a little company called box dot -- become big -- enough. I some young kid yeah yeah and they're doing exactly the same -- But do you work for different services not could -- who's gonna look at Google docs thing. -- me and everything Buchanan doing it across the board and I think that's a much better may have approaching things are clearly the portraying this stewards. You know cloud computing in people's earnings stomp up and it's not it's not -- one. What to you know process this is going to be. In an -- makes sense in about five years from now moving on I think the big story is. Is you know the exact opposite of what who's trying to do is -- inspired it and who will -- blue -- you know. Is of responsible reporter to Verizon is opening up its network. And it allowed people to connect. In a different device makers to sell. Devices all lean mean for the right to network our applications mean for the but I as an expert in this -- like picking an EPI approach. To the Telecom network as a platform. This is just for the violence in nineteen. These domain name Hillary it's a pretty good --"

" I think they're always calling the F I mean. I went to tech payments other cracks press release for Verizon upfront -- and then everything -- blockbuster was just calling yes I'm I'm going to the actual impact once it does run it here. Is very limit to a small small number of them."

" Might not even that I think to -- this is just a PR -- Because if you think about it if they don't -- this announcement. They got a lot of pressure from you know the congress to senate the FCC. And it allows him to kind of -- in a bid for the 700 megahertz spectrum. We've we've talked part of the past. And I think this is a lot more needs to be torn -- justice is this is a great PR push. And it's a great idea I'm all for it and I think this is going to be interesting went to see how would goes. But I'm definitely interest rates. And in you know one company's following that."

" The keeping with them with people openness and people powered ideas I guess for today's new else the founder of Wikipedia and -- yes. And he'll be talking about all of the projects and his use search efforts and you really big increase from."

" It would be back."

" Welcome back and air guest is Jimmy Wales the founder of Wikipedia and -- thank you so much for joining us today things happen and you involving a lot of stuff with computers -- most famous for and you're also working with Q which is gaining a lot of attention these days but what are all the more about what you've done and and we lacked."

" Well I group and Alabama which is pretty strange place to come from to do all the stuff. A -- group there and and I was in finance actually speed futures and options trader and -- different going to tech. Well as a traitor it was a very mathematical traitor I didn't have a life back that -- I have one now but if it. Profoundly evening I was working in a web browser just because the web was just coming out. And then Netscape went public early four point three billion and in my browser that I had written myself a homeless. Not as good as Netscape one point nobody -- it wasn't that much worse. I was like something big is going on here until I started moving into the world when housing grad school and viscerally studying game theory and you know that the the questions about how old people in Iraq and Howell social rules can impact -- communities and things like that. A thickness of the I was always really into its of that kind of thinking it's always. Really inform my thinking about how to design social spaces on line."

" On the -- you know indeed these solutions basis. We keep PDA as an idea. Was supposed to read these six oceans speech tonight and that is one of the reasons there's action taken off. You -- that actually live more complexity into social environment. You make it difficult for people to kind of com and on to them and adopt them as much as. We can preview."

" I mean I think so I think there's a real. Value in simplicity. And Wikipedia it's pretty straightforward and you you've come here to. Edit some documents with other people and all of the social tools in Wikipedia are designed around. I think FaceBook is great I mean most of lead to have FaceBook is. Pretty intuitively obvious what it's supposed to do when you click on and so I think that kind of simplicity is really a super important."

" What about your new venture which is we -- and you went and now we -- how's it different from Wikipedia and why should. We care about that as maternity care of our Wikipedia."

" The core business of which he is. We call it building the rest of the library so we have if you imagine yourself walking into a traditional library. And you see the encyclopedia on the shelf and the sort of books above the state. The new look around and all the other books and magazines and things that people might come together and collaborate on. It it which he is to give people the tools they need to build everything else in the library. I know recently there were screen shots of this if they look like almost get -- they -- about. Are you technically try to move an -- action become more -- like in your product this show was from other very preliminary thing from our search engine project so basically what we're here. We're working on is Andy. Open source search engine for -- the search engine we're launching hopefully by the end of December and the basic ideas are using some existing technologies that are already out there one of the things we're really trying to do. Is collaborate with a lot of people's that where the pieces of this. Infrastructure. And which are redundant. Everybody is doing a crawl the web. -- and so if every individual search start up has to build the infrastructure to a full scale cool quality -- all of the web. That's sound policy and efficient right and so the idea is -- Apollo eleven let's just make it publicly available let's just let's just take care of that piece of it. And collaborate with people who are doing -- software to who tried to. Them find those kinds of inefficiencies and you know open them up and I'll I don't know we'll be successful but that's."

" This is a question which is kind of always be in my mind -- never. And two for two two why is. Union that the blog became more popular very quickly and -- that millions and millions of them. There are millions and millions over -- why is that."

" There's a few reasons so 1 is of course. Communities tend to congregate got a point of community and so if you're gonna get a lot of people to -- to work on something it just makes a lot more sense for people go there already action. Everything is I think it's it's really really not easy to build a community it's not something a lot of people really understand. How to do one of the big. Pitfalls DC again and again and again. From a lot of startups is the tend to be. Really dominated by an engineering and algorithmic mindset and they forget the human element and so -- is looking for ways to sort of automate. Trust that tricks and things like this and we're gonna rate everybody with a program and at that stuff doesn't really work and it defender the working building. Sort of communities that they can argue and fight and -- together that."

" What you're saying is that it's almost like having a successful body can have the greatest that communication get a bad bartender. He's not gonna show rights and into a lot of the little details and some of it may be to some extent to them. A little bit mysterious -- you know publisher -- placed a call for him because cool people are going their own weapons and then. And somebody just got lucky you say. I think what we need in the rural right now is because of combos software of the long talked him we keep up record in the key. Apparently he heard it here first quick look at that your. I don't think indicated the -- are really aren't corporate keys for people like me. My greatest desire is to bring my community into my and I can profit market. Means you know it wouldn't miss Karen parker and his -- morning you know comment system is -- comment system is is is a holdover from the 1990s. I think the it was more interactive and act."

" He should take a look at what they'd this is our New York team. They're in their means that they built as the armed chair AM. Sports site. But what they've done is they're they're using media which -- which is the same software that that runs Wikipedia. But it at a lot of features so it's it's like a collaborative blog the idea is you may post a story -- other people can come and post comments but. All of that stuff is still -- also if and then lots of different people can post and things like this than of the voting system. To bring -- things to the front page in the Edmonds can control stuff. I don't think it's perfect I don't think it's all the way. Like. Yet all the way -- answer but I I agree with you mean there's this idea of I mean for example my blog -- well have a blog but I'm not really blogger and I only blog. About once every three months post something in his usually something big announcement and but I like the idea of participating in group blog but there have been a lot of group blogs that have been really successful because there. They're just close groups you know us and -- six of my friends as opposed to being. Really open ended nature of something have a Wiki where the community flows and then makes decisions themselves."

" Before we go I think both it was a very curious to know what do you think so. We -- yeah yeah. How do you know if you if somebody's written something about Q. Is it okay to send foreigners are hardened against him in -- correction done is that a process."

" yes of there -- a lot of people who. That the -- biography including me and then there's usually scandal so. We recommend that people don't do it it's that we don't have up from rule that says you can't. But it's just generally considered not a good idea. But then there's this question. You're often the the single world's greatest expert on yourself. And you would be able to spot an -- very quickly. If there's something about bias or something that you feel is unfair to you and what you really need to do this post on the discussion pages hey look this is really not fair. The real key is to respect the communities is running -- understand that hey it's it's gonna be neutral or it's gonna attempt to be neutral and it should be on."

" Thank you for thought who violate kind of here you know things are happening and we'll be back for B. -- viewer feedback."

" Yeah. Yeah."

" Welcome back and we have a few viewer comments that have been -- into less than the first one is from. Yes she who gave us this feedback in the forms and I don't know if she's about galactic are not here right. Which is doing at Connery is seriously changing the face of gaming and hopefully the market investment in seeking to. I hope so we hope so I asked it's a rapidly growing field and we just need to see. Where the money will end up coming out of it and to whose pockets. -- these companies that girls running out. In the casual games they actually be sustainable ways that the crime rate hopefully coming on top yeah."

" You know we get a lot of people emailing this thing. -- like to show and whatnot so there's somebody. You don't say that washed forest fire episodes and there. Kill -- Kmart and -- for me select court provided. Can I say unity we -- vintage shows and yeah maybe you mediation panel and I think it's just made some good works for somebody and you can't beat him but he happy. So. You know write to us on development provision pretty dark on you can go to our site provision -- back to go home. Leave your common in the forums. And you know from Barack -- good you know more interesting stuff and all you. Know feedback and it cynically."

" Do you go home show."

" Hey welcome to -- GigaOM show I've -- she's curious. And give back -- Thanksgiving."

" You know brand new studio -- on -- construction but we're in a new homes and that's that. Did you have fun and Thanksgiving I did I did I think that you actually in the whole family so let's get the Kim family yes. And starring Kim is on him that's going to the show from now on. I'm believe have a little good news trickling out after the Thanksgiving holidays first one being more info on the teacher. And who move storage space exactly. I NG drive as a parent I think she drives and so the whole idea is that who is going through offering a little different -- and then more for paid storage online have. Of any types of files documents. Photos -- one night I feel what one very well with their documents program -- and all those other systems they have."

" You know it's a funny thing -- there's a little company called box dot -- become big -- enough. I some young kid yeah yeah and they're doing exactly the same -- But do you work for different services not could -- who's gonna look at Google docs thing. -- me and everything Buchanan doing it across the board and I think that's a much better may have approaching things are clearly the portraying this stewards. You know cloud computing in people's earnings stomp up and it's not it's not -- one. What to you know process this is going to be. In an -- makes sense in about five years from now moving on I think the big story is. Is you know the exact opposite of what who's trying to do is -- inspired it and who will -- blue -- you know. Is of responsible reporter to Verizon is opening up its network. And it allowed people to connect. In a different device makers to sell. Devices all lean mean for the right to network our applications mean for the but I as an expert in this -- like picking an EPI approach. To the Telecom network as a platform. This is just for the violence in nineteen. These domain name Hillary it's a pretty good --"

" I think they're always calling the F I mean. I went to tech payments other cracks press release for Verizon upfront -- and then everything -- blockbuster was just calling yes I'm I'm going to the actual impact once it does run it here. Is very limit to a small small number of them."

" Might not even that I think to -- this is just a PR -- Because if you think about it if they don't -- this announcement. They got a lot of pressure from you know the congress to senate the FCC. And it allows him to kind of -- in a bid for the 700 megahertz spectrum. We've we've talked part of the past. And I think this is a lot more needs to be torn -- justice is this is a great PR push. And it's a great idea I'm all for it and I think this is going to be interesting went to see how would goes. But I'm definitely interest rates. And in you know one company's following that."

" The keeping with them with people openness and people powered ideas I guess for today's new else the founder of Wikipedia and -- yes. And he'll be talking about all of the projects and his use search efforts and you really big increase from."

" It would be back."

" Welcome back and air guest is Jimmy Wales the founder of Wikipedia and -- thank you so much for joining us today things happen and you involving a lot of stuff with computers -- most famous for and you're also working with Q which is gaining a lot of attention these days but what are all the more about what you've done and and we lacked."

" Well I group and Alabama which is pretty strange place to come from to do all the stuff. A -- group there and and I was in finance actually speed futures and options trader and -- different going to tech. Well as a traitor it was a very mathematical traitor I didn't have a life back that -- I have one now but if it. Profoundly evening I was working in a web browser just because the web was just coming out. And then Netscape went public early four point three billion and in my browser that I had written myself a homeless. Not as good as Netscape one point nobody -- it wasn't that much worse. I was like something big is going on here until I started moving into the world when housing grad school and viscerally studying game theory and you know that the the questions about how old people in Iraq and Howell social rules can impact -- communities and things like that. A thickness of the I was always really into its of that kind of thinking it's always. Really inform my thinking about how to design social spaces on line."

" On the -- you know indeed these solutions basis. We keep PDA as an idea. Was supposed to read these six oceans speech tonight and that is one of the reasons there's action taken off. You -- that actually live more complexity into social environment. You make it difficult for people to kind of com and on to them and adopt them as much as. We can preview."

" I mean I think so I think there's a real. Value in simplicity. And Wikipedia it's pretty straightforward and you you've come here to. Edit some documents with other people and all of the social tools in Wikipedia are designed around. I think FaceBook is great I mean most of lead to have FaceBook is. Pretty intuitively obvious what it's supposed to do when you click on and so I think that kind of simplicity is really a super important."

" What about your new venture which is we -- and you went and now we -- how's it different from Wikipedia and why should. We care about that as maternity care of our Wikipedia."

" The core business of which he is. We call it building the rest of the library so we have if you imagine yourself walking into a traditional library. And you see the encyclopedia on the shelf and the sort of books above the state. The new look around and all the other books and magazines and things that people might come together and collaborate on. It it which he is to give people the tools they need to build everything else in the library. I know recently there were screen shots of this if they look like almost get -- they -- about. Are you technically try to move an -- action become more -- like in your product this show was from other very preliminary thing from our search engine project so basically what we're here. We're working on is Andy. Open source search engine for -- the search engine we're launching hopefully by the end of December and the basic ideas are using some existing technologies that are already out there one of the things we're really trying to do. Is collaborate with a lot of people's that where the pieces of this. Infrastructure. And which are redundant. Everybody is doing a crawl the web. -- and so if every individual search start up has to build the infrastructure to a full scale cool quality -- all of the web. That's sound policy and efficient right and so the idea is -- Apollo eleven let's just make it publicly available let's just let's just take care of that piece of it. And collaborate with people who are doing -- software to who tried to. Them find those kinds of inefficiencies and you know open them up and I'll I don't know we'll be successful but that's."

" This is a question which is kind of always be in my mind -- never. And two for two two why is. Union that the blog became more popular very quickly and -- that millions and millions of them. There are millions and millions over -- why is that."

" There's a few reasons so 1 is of course. Communities tend to congregate got a point of community and so if you're gonna get a lot of people to -- to work on something it just makes a lot more sense for people go there already action. Everything is I think it's it's really really not easy to build a community it's not something a lot of people really understand. How to do one of the big. Pitfalls DC again and again and again. From a lot of startups is the tend to be. Really dominated by an engineering and algorithmic mindset and they forget the human element and so -- is looking for ways to sort of automate. Trust that tricks and things like this and we're gonna rate everybody with a program and at that stuff doesn't really work and it defender the working building. Sort of communities that they can argue and fight and -- together that."

" What you're saying is that it's almost like having a successful body can have the greatest that communication get a bad bartender. He's not gonna show rights and into a lot of the little details and some of it may be to some extent to them. A little bit mysterious -- you know publisher -- placed a call for him because cool people are going their own weapons and then. And somebody just got lucky you say. I think what we need in the rural right now is because of combos software of the long talked him we keep up record in the key. Apparently he heard it here first quick look at that your. I don't think indicated the -- are really aren't corporate keys for people like me. My greatest desire is to bring my community into my and I can profit market. Means you know it wouldn't miss Karen parker and his -- morning you know comment system is -- comment system is is is a holdover from the 1990s. I think the it was more interactive and act."

" He should take a look at what they'd this is our New York team. They're in their means that they built as the armed chair AM. Sports site. But what they've done is they're they're using media which -- which is the same software that that runs Wikipedia. But it at a lot of features so it's it's like a collaborative blog the idea is you may post a story -- other people can come and post comments but. All of that stuff is still -- also if and then lots of different people can post and things like this than of the voting system. To bring -- things to the front page in the Edmonds can control stuff. I don't think it's perfect I don't think it's all the way. Like. Yet all the way -- answer but I I agree with you mean there's this idea of I mean for example my blog -- well have a blog but I'm not really blogger and I only blog. About once every three months post something in his usually something big announcement and but I like the idea of participating in group blog but there have been a lot of group blogs that have been really successful because there. They're just close groups you know us and -- six of my friends as opposed to being. Really open ended nature of something have a Wiki where the community flows and then makes decisions themselves."

" Before we go I think both it was a very curious to know what do you think so. We -- yeah yeah. How do you know if you if somebody's written something about Q. Is it okay to send foreigners are hardened against him in -- correction done is that a process."

" yes of there -- a lot of people who. That the -- biography including me and then there's usually scandal so. We recommend that people don't do it it's that we don't have up from rule that says you can't. But it's just generally considered not a good idea. But then there's this question. You're often the the single world's greatest expert on yourself. And you would be able to spot an -- very quickly. If there's something about bias or something that you feel is unfair to you and what you really need to do this post on the discussion pages hey look this is really not fair. The real key is to respect the communities is running -- understand that hey it's it's gonna be neutral or it's gonna attempt to be neutral and it should be on."

" Thank you for thought who violate kind of here you know things are happening and we'll be back for B. -- viewer feedback."

" Yeah. Yeah."

" Welcome back and we have a few viewer comments that have been -- into less than the first one is from. Yes she who gave us this feedback in the forms and I don't know if she's about galactic are not here right. Which is doing at Connery is seriously changing the face of gaming and hopefully the market investment in seeking to. I hope so we hope so I asked it's a rapidly growing field and we just need to see. Where the money will end up coming out of it and to whose pockets. -- these companies that girls running out. In the casual games they actually be sustainable ways that the crime rate hopefully coming on top yeah."

" You know we get a lot of people emailing this thing. -- like to show and whatnot so there's somebody. You don't say that washed forest fire episodes and there. Kill -- Kmart and -- for me select court provided. Can I say unity we -- vintage shows and yeah maybe you mediation panel and I think it's just made some good works for somebody and you can't beat him but he happy. So. You know write to us on development provision pretty dark on you can go to our site provision -- back to go home. Leave your common in the forums. And you know from Barack -- good you know more interesting stuff and all you. Know feedback and it cynically."

" Do you go home show."