Remarkable People

About

Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model. The name "Wikipedia" is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from theHawaiian word wiki, meaning "quick") and encyclopedia. Wikipedia's articles provide links to guide the user to related pages with additional information.

Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous Internet volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles (except in certain cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption or vandalism). Users cancontribute anonymously, under a pseudonym, or with their real identity, if they choose.

The fundamental principles by which Wikipedia operates are the Five pillars. The Wikipedia community has developed many policies and guidelines to improve the encyclopedia; however, it is not a formal requirement to be familiar with them before contributing.

Since its creation in 2001, Wikipedia has grown rapidly into one of the largest reference websites, attracting nearly 78 million visitors monthly as of January 2010. There are more than 1,000 active contributors working on more than 17,000,000 articles in more than 270 languages. As of today, there are 3,502,954 articles in English. Every day, hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world collectively make tens of thousands of edits and create thousands of new articles to augment the knowledge held by the Wikipedia encyclopedia. (See also: Wikipedia:Statistics.)

People of all ages, cultures and backgrounds can add or edit article prose, references, images and other media here. What is contributed is more important than the expertise or qualifications of the contributor. What will remain depends upon whether it fits within Wikipedia's policies, including being verifiable against a published reliable source, so excluding editors' opinions and beliefs andunreviewed research, and is free of copyright restrictions and contentious material about living people. Contributions cannot damage Wikipedia because the software allows easy reversal of mistakes and many experienced editors are watching to help and ensure that edits are cumulative improvements. Begin by simply clicking the edit  link at the top of any editable page!

Wikipedia is a live collaboration differing from paper-based reference sources in important ways. Unlike printed encyclopedias, Wikipedia is continually created and updated, with articles on historic events appearing within minutes, rather than months or years. Older articles tend to grow more comprehensive and balanced; newer articles may contain misinformation, unencyclopedic content, orvandalism. Awareness of this aids obtaining valid information and avoiding recently added misinformation (see Researching with Wikipedia).

About

Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki is a wiki that was started on March 4, 2005, and strives to be the premier source of information on all aspects of the Star Wars universe. This includes information from the Star Wars films and Expanded Universe, as well as information of value to fans. The Star Wars wiki is inspired by Wikipedia, but can expand on Star Wars information in greater detail and with more freedom than Wikipedia. Wookieepedia was founded when Wikipedia users began to complain of the overabundance of minutiae related toStar Wars, which began appearing on Wikipedia. Since then, it has expanded to become one of the largest wikis on the internet.

As a fan-created encyclopedia, Wookieepedia is not intended to be a primary source, nor is it a replacement for the Databank or any other official source. Rather, it serves as a fan effort to summarize all aspects of the Star Wars universe in the best way possible, while pointing the reader to the respective official sources.

"Wookieepedia is a lavish and stunning homage to the Star Wars pop cultural phenomenon. Thanks to its professional appearance, the scope of its content, the quality of its writers and diligence of its administrators, Wookieepedia has become a valuable resource to fans both casual and obsessive, as well as to Star Wars authors. It's becoming the new nexus for everyone who wants to know as much as Yoda about that galaxy far, far away."

- Abel G. Peña

About

The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge. The Wikimedia Foundation operates some of the largest collaboratively edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, a top-ten internet property.

Support Us

The Wikimedia Foundation relies heavily on the generous support from our users. Please consider making a donation today, be it time or money. The benefactors page is dedicated to some of the companies and individuals helping to sustain the Wikimedia projects. The Wikimedia Foundation does not necessarily endorse the activities of its Corporate Benefactors.

The Wikimedia Foundation is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States, and donations from US citizens are tax deductible. Donations made by citizens of other countries may also be tax deductible. Please see deductibility of donations for details. Please see our fundraising page for details of making donations via PayPal, MoneyBookers, postal mail or direct deposit. For all other types of donations, please contact us.

About Us

Wikia is a collaborative publishing platform that enables communities to discover, create and share content on any topic in any language.

Wikia sites are written by community members that are passionate about subjects ranging from video games, TV shows and movies to food, fashion, and environmental sustainability.

Some of the biggest communities on Wikia are in gaming and entertainment, such as World of Warcraft and theMarvel Database Project, but comprehensive sites on genealogy, ice hockey, and children's books keep a diverse number of people interested and engaged. There’s even a wiki on solar cooking!

What's the name all about? “Wikia” is derived from the Hawaiian word “wiki” - which means “quick.”

Our Story

Like many of the sagas chronicled on Wikia sites - from Lost to Twilight to Star Wars - the Wikia story has a legendary beginning.[edit]

Founded in 2004 by Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley, Wikia was inspired by the model of Wikipedia - the free, open-source encyclopedia to which anyone could contribute content. Wikia focuses, however, on being the definitive resource on many topics that do not fit into the traditional encyclopedia model, building entire communities around pop culture content. (See the Wikia Timeline.)

Wikia is equally committed to openness, inviting anyone to contribute information on topics they they know well. Unlike Wikipedia, however, Wikia invites users to have a point of view, and encourages people who are passionate about specific subjects in categories like Gaming, Entertainment and Lifestyle to create the ultimate resource on those topics.

It is that very passion that has driven Wikia’s tremendous growth over the past six years. We’ve gone from being a few solitary contributors and readers to a handful of communities to over 2 million registered users on 150,000 wiki communities.

And it only gets better from here. In the past year, Wikia has expanded, bringing on a slew of new talent and opening offices in New York and London, in addition to those in San Francisco and Poznan, Poland.

Maurice Lacroix has set itself a clear objective: both through consistent preservation of the long tradition of the Swiss watchmaking art and meetings its high standards, as well as creating, with its very own, innovative complications and movement developments, contemporary design and heightened passion for detail and perfection, extraordinary timepieces. Those who appreciate lasting value derived from the synergy of tradition watchmaking, creative development work and the latest technology, as well as aficionados seeking the extraordinary know not to entrust valuable, irrevocable time to just any timepiece but rather to a timepiece from Maurice Lacroix.