I have forwarded this to our list. Very motivational. :) Thank you, Megan
2013/12/8 ENWP Pine <[email protected]> > Thanks very much, Megan. It's very nice to hear this. > > Pine > > > > Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2013 19:42:06 -0800 > > From: Megan Hernandez <[email protected]> > > To: Wikimedia Mailing List <[email protected]> > > Subject: [Wikimedia-l] Readers love you > > Message-ID: > > <CAE1+vxPHbrLaibiteyEq8QBdK51K4DJw6fU5fX6= > [email protected]> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 > > > > Hi everyone, > > > > Each year that we run the fundraiser, readers write in really lovely > notes. > > Please take two minutes to listen to our readers. > > > > Enjoy! > > > > > > The story I like to tell is that whilst I had heard of Wikipedia but only > > looked at it a few times thereafter, when the 2004 Tsunami occurred the > day > > after Christmas, mainstream news organisations (TV, newspapers) were all > > away from their offices. That day I turned to Wikipedia to try to > > understand the scale of the event. It was Wiki editors 'on the ground' > that > > created the sort of information and coverage usually considered the > > province of rolling news organisations only. This I now dub my 'Wiki > > Epiphany'. > > > > > > Wikipedia is an amazing service. Almost always, I am able to find > > information on subjects I am interested in. Thanks and Kudos to all staff > > and volunteers!! > > > > My world has been opened up time and time again by Wikipedia. From > studying > > Detroit and computer programming to finding unbiased information on > > America's history, Wikipedia has been a beacon of free speech and > > information for over ten years. Sometimes, I just sit in awe of the fact > > that the greatest accomplishment of man was assembled mostly by > volunteers, > > people who just wanted to make the world a better place. > > > > Its made life easier for me and expanded my knowledge by allowing me to > > more easily find trusted and verified information on the internet. It > > organizes all the noise out there on the web and gives a great concise to > > the point fact summary of what I want to know. Thank you and thank you to > > the millions of volunteer editors. Wikipedia is a necessity in my life > and > > not just a luxury. > > > > Wikipedia is a source of unbiased information. The caveats and notes from > > the editors alert to questionable information. The links within the > > articles are amazingly helpful and have led me on wonderful information > > expeditions. > > > > I'd like to thank the entire staff of wikipedia and its editors for my > high > > school graduation. > > > > It's impossible to put in words. I cannot imagine Planet Earth without it > > [Wikipedia]. It has changed my life forever. > > > > My 17 year old son uses you constantly. You have made him a smarter human > > being. > > > > You guys are ^^%$#&* unbelievably awesome, keep it up! > > > > web sites like Wikipedia are invaluable and I felt it my duty to try help > > even if only a tad. > > > > so much of the Internet has turned into self serving and unreliable > junque; > > so I am very, very grateful for the Wiki resource. > > > > I regard "W" as the best and most reliable source of information > available > > anywhere. I don't know how you do it so please keep on with your > Excellence > > }i{ < That;s a butterfly for you > > This is one of the best things on the internet. It goes back to the > > original development of the internet and has remained ethical and true to > > its origins. There appears to be no discrimination and it is available to > > everyone at no cost. > > > > I am 60 years old and I am still so cruious and interested in so many > > things. Wikipedia gives me reasonable information whenever I may want it. > > > > > > I use wikipedia all the time and credit it more toward my education than > > college did! > > > > > > It's nice to see humanity get together without any external forces for a > > common good! > > > > > > I am inspired by the high quality of Wikipedia and the high ideals of its > > founder and its myriad contributors and editors. What a magnificent > > collaborative human achievement you are building! > > > > > > It has simultaneously answered and given me more questions than I can > > comprehend. > > This represents to me what college should be like. Free and collective > > knowledge by and for all. > > > > When I want to know something, I google it and 99% of the time Wikipedia > > has what I want to know. Even drinking arguments, about what Biff from > Back > > to the Future is doing now, are solved by Wikipedia. It's all there. > > > > Without Wikipedia I would be about 30% less intelligent. :( > > > > it is like a gift from the gods of knowledge > > > > I am a teacher and a writer, and I am amazed how often Wikipedia is > useful > > to me. I consider Wikipedia to be one of the great democratic projects > > maybe ever, and it is one of the reasons why I try to stay optimistic > about > > the world. Thank you. > > > > I honestly feel like the next generation of humans in general, will be > much > > smarter than the previous because of this site. Well, at least they will > > know a whole lot more useless shit. I've heard (don't know for sure if > it's > > true, doesn't matter) that the bigger a person's brain is, typically, the > > smarter that person is. So, if that is true, I think it's likely that > > because of this site, in about 50 years, humans will have huge heads. > Their > > heads will look like the aliens' heads did in "attack from mars." If > y'all > > ever get into commercials for whatever reason, you could use that and > > probably make it really funny :) > > > > It's like that reliable family member or friend who's an expert at > > something or the other. > > > > I extend my heartfelt thanks to the men and women who tirelessly work on > > keeping Wikipedia the wonderful website it is. > > > > There's nothing you can't find on Wikipedia, I'd be shattered if it was > > shut down. > > > > As a computing and communications engineer I imagined an information > > resource like Wikipedia before the Internet existed. I'm happy I didn't > > have to be the one to build it. > > > > My 72 year old life is easier and more fun. I read a lot and look things > up > > all the time, and that is now easy. That itself is fun. > > > > It gives me hope and makes me feel connected to an invisible but powerful > > community. And it settles lots of arguments before they get out of hand > at > > the dinner table!!! > > > > My Dad's addicted to Wikipedia. Seriously. I can't think of a single day > > I've seen him not go on here at least once. The man craves knowledge, and > > one blue link leads to another. Soon enough, he has dozens of tabs open > > leading to a million different things. As I hear quite often, I am my > > father's daughter. I was in third period US History today reading the > page > > on Dmitri Kabalevsky during our homework time. I came on here right now > to > > make sure it would be okay to refer to France as Gallia in the book I'm > > attempting to write. I come on here so many times a day, you wouldn't > even > > believe. I absolutely love the system you all work so hard to run, and I > > hope Wikipedia stays online and banner free for dozens of years to come! > > You have my full support. :) > > > > 100 years ago they said we would have flying cars, instead we got smart > > phones with access to almost every book ever written, fair trade. > > > > When i was a kid, I used to watch 'Star Trek". When Captain Kirk had a > > question asked Mr. Spock and the computer with female voice. Wikipedia > is a > > combination of Mr. Spock and Computer. > > > > It was my constant savior through the pitch-black hell that was high > school > > and has guided me through college and into my career as a nurse. > > > > I have lived in the world without Wikipedia but it was darkish all the > time > > and I never want to live in our world without it again. > > > > Wikipedia is like a playground for me. I love you for what you do. > > > > It is easy to find reliable or at least semi-reliable information on just > > about any person, place, or thing that exists. Even if it's something as > > stupid as "white chocolate". The reason I was on wikipedia this evening. > > Thank you. > > > > "Look it up" is what our dad always told us when we asked a question, > even > > if he knew the answer. Back then we ran to the encyclopedia or > dictionary; > > now it's Wikipedia. Different but the same. And beyond Wikipedia's being > a > > tool to learn something, it makes me happy to know there are smarties out > > there, collaborating in this vital, fluid, living system, spreading > > knowledge. Thank you! > > > > > > I remember researching in the days of microfiche & card catalogs! This is > > like having the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, the OED, and so much more > > at your fingertips! > > I just truly enjoy getting the succinct and straight info without a lot > of > > bullshit. > > > > > > I passed my university degree, settled numerous arguments, checked sports > > stats, researched my great grandfather and just today found out the > > probable origin of sheep farming! The list goes on... and on… > > > > was one of those kids who read the encyclopedia for fun, so Wikipedia > took > > that to the next level. > > > > Wikipedia is what the internet can be. > > > > > > I use Wikipedia to live my life. > > > > I, as an ordinary citizen, am able to learn and access information in a > way > > that would make preeminent scholars of 3000-odd years fall to their knees > > and weep with joy and shock. > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Megan Hernandez > > > > Director of Online Fundraising > > Wikimedia Foundation > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > ******************************************** > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list > [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > -- Saludos, *Ing. Fhaidel Domínguez* Portavoz Wikimedia Venezuela www.wikimedia.org.ve *ES: "Imagina un mundo* en el que cada ser humano tiene la posibilidad de acceder a la suma de todo el conocimiento. Ese es nuestro compromiso" *GUC: *"*Jülüjain wanee mmakat *ein kapülain tü alijunakalirua jee wayuukanairua junain ekerolaa alümüin supüshuwayale etijaanaka. Ayatashi waya junain" _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
