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One reason why I like contributing to Wikipedia is because it feels like I'm contributing to the knowledge-base for all of humanity. Why should I spend my time

by pradn 7y ago

One reason why I like contributing to Wikipedia is because it feels like I'm contributing to the knowledge-base for all of humanity. Why should I spend my time working on a VC-funded version instead of at a non-profit? VC companies go bust all the time. I would have little share in the governance. Plus, it seems like you all are using public labor for private profit. That all said, more knowledge is better than less. Good work on creating this.

judegomila 7y ago
Jude from Golden here. This knowledge base is for all of humanity as well. I think the important part here is that we are putting out the content on CC-BY-SA-4.0. There is also risk factor to a donations model for WP and to not having enough revenue to invest in the tools needed to go 1000x on the topics + other features that are important to build. If it means anything, I worked on my last co (Heyzap) for 9 years and its still running today. I can see the worry but there are many options on creating backups and dumps to the text, so we are agreement that more knowledge is better and thanks for the support.
- pradn 7y ago
  Thank you for your response. I'm greatly encouraged that the license is CC-BY-SA. That's definitely in the public good. I do believe there is space for non-Wikipedia knowledge repositories. Look at Wikia, for example. People do want to store all their fandom knowledge somewhere. It's just that Wikipedia might not be the place for it. I also agree that the underinvestment in tools can limit contributions. Wikipedia's new visual editor is the biggest step they've taken in making editing easily accessible. They also have new translation and analysis tools. Not to mention all the specialized wikis under the umbrella - Wiktionary, Wikidata, etc. I do wonder if it's enough though. Thanks for your work. I hope you can find a balanced business model.
  - judegomila 7y ago
    Thanks, glad you like it.
- adamsea 7y ago
  If the knowledge is for all of humanity will you be incorporating as a B-Corp or some other form of social benefit corporation?
coldacid 7y ago
Between the politics (both internal and external) around Wikipedia, I gave up as an editor years ago. To me it sounds like Golden actually wants to be a repository of all information, rather than a byzantine bureaucracy that pretends to play encyclopedia.
- oldgun 7y ago
  > To me it sounds like Golden actually wants to be a repository of all information And based on what information did you draw that conclusion? A well-articulated self-description from a VC-funded startup? Or does it mean some competitor failed in some way automatically makes it favorable and trustworthy?
- judegomila 7y ago
  Jude from Golden here. I'd love to get your feedback on the editor and fix any bugs you come across / comparisons of previous experiences and why you gave up. You can email me at jude [at] golden [dot] com or post it here...
hk__2 7y ago
Same here. Why should I contribute to Golden for free, where people have to pay to make queries, when I can do the same with Wikidata, which is queryable by anyone?
- judegomila 7y ago
  Jude from Golden here. Good question. We are opening up useful queries over time for users eg https://golden.com/y-combinator-w19-companies/ https://golden.com/y-combinator-w19-companies/ Future paid/business tools will include using our AI assisted editor for private companies, private storage of their knowledge so we can continue to open up more queries to the public. Our north star is to get to a more open knowledge base than what is currently available. Also here are all the cryptocurrency projects that have whitepapers https://golden.com/cryptocurrency-whitepapers/ https://golden.com/cryptocurrency-whitepapers/
  - hk__2 7y ago
    Given than Wikidata is published under a CC 0 licence there’s nothing preventing Golden from using it as a knowledge source. Unless Golden provides a better editor experience I see no reason for anyone to contribute to Golden rather than Wikidata.
    - jake-low 7y ago
      Just FYI, most of the content on Wikipedia is actually dual licensed under CC-BY-SA and GFDL. Both licenses are copyleft licenses; CC0 is more permissive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reusing_Wikipedia_content https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reusing_Wikipedia_co...
      - yorwba 7y ago
        Parts of Wikipedia articles (e.g. some infoboxes [1]) are actually sourced from Wikidata, which is licensed under CC0 [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_person/Wikidata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_person/Wikida... [2] https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Data_access#Basic_important_things_to_know https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Data_access#Basic_imp...

by pradn 7y ago

judegomila 7y ago

Jude from Golden here. This knowledge base is for all of humanity as well. I think the important part here is that we are putting out the content on CC-BY-SA-4.0. There is also risk factor to a donations model for WP and to not having enough revenue to invest in the tools needed to go 1000x on the topics + other features that are important to build. If it means anything, I worked on my last co (Heyzap) for 9 years and its still running today. I can see the worry but there are many options on creating backups and dumps to the text, so we are agreement that more knowledge is better and thanks for the support.

pradn 7y ago
Thank you for your response. I'm greatly encouraged that the license is CC-BY-SA. That's definitely in the public good. I do believe there is space for non-Wikipedia knowledge repositories. Look at Wikia, for example. People do want to store all their fandom knowledge somewhere. It's just that Wikipedia might not be the place for it. I also agree that the underinvestment in tools can limit contributions. Wikipedia's new visual editor is the biggest step they've taken in making editing easily accessible. They also have new translation and analysis tools. Not to mention all the specialized wikis under the umbrella - Wiktionary, Wikidata, etc. I do wonder if it's enough though. Thanks for your work. I hope you can find a balanced business model.
- judegomila 7y ago
  Thanks, glad you like it.
adamsea 7y ago
If the knowledge is for all of humanity will you be incorporating as a B-Corp or some other form of social benefit corporation?

coldacid 7y ago

Between the politics (both internal and external) around Wikipedia, I gave up as an editor years ago. To me it sounds like Golden actually wants to be a repository of all information, rather than a byzantine bureaucracy that pretends to play encyclopedia.

oldgun 7y ago
> To me it sounds like Golden actually wants to be a repository of all information And based on what information did you draw that conclusion? A well-articulated self-description from a VC-funded startup? Or does it mean some competitor failed in some way automatically makes it favorable and trustworthy?
judegomila 7y ago
Jude from Golden here. I'd love to get your feedback on the editor and fix any bugs you come across / comparisons of previous experiences and why you gave up. You can email me at jude [at] golden [dot] com or post it here...

hk__2 7y ago

Same here. Why should I contribute to Golden for free, where people have to pay to make queries, when I can do the same with Wikidata, which is queryable by anyone?

judegomila 7y ago
Jude from Golden here. Good question. We are opening up useful queries over time for users eg https://golden.com/y-combinator-w19-companies/ https://golden.com/y-combinator-w19-companies/ Future paid/business tools will include using our AI assisted editor for private companies, private storage of their knowledge so we can continue to open up more queries to the public. Our north star is to get to a more open knowledge base than what is currently available. Also here are all the cryptocurrency projects that have whitepapers https://golden.com/cryptocurrency-whitepapers/ https://golden.com/cryptocurrency-whitepapers/
- hk__2 7y ago
  Given than Wikidata is published under a CC 0 licence there’s nothing preventing Golden from using it as a knowledge source. Unless Golden provides a better editor experience I see no reason for anyone to contribute to Golden rather than Wikidata.
  - jake-low 7y ago
    Just FYI, most of the content on Wikipedia is actually dual licensed under CC-BY-SA and GFDL. Both licenses are copyleft licenses; CC0 is more permissive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reusing_Wikipedia_content https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reusing_Wikipedia_co...
    - yorwba 7y ago
      Parts of Wikipedia articles (e.g. some infoboxes [1]) are actually sourced from Wikidata, which is licensed under CC0 [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_person/Wikidata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_person/Wikida... [2] https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Data_access#Basic_important_things_to_know https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:Data_access#Basic_imp...