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| − | [[Image:Jimmy Wales in France.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Jimmy Wales]]
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| − | '''Jimmy Donal Wales'''<ref name=BritannicaOnline>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1192821/Jimmy-Wales Jimmy Wales] ''Britannica Online''</ref><ref>[http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/26/stories/2007022604071300.htm Wikipedia plans people-powered search engine] ''The Hindu''</ref> is an [[United States|American]]<ref name=BritannicaOnline/> Internet entrepreneur<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/fast-facts-found-online/2007/02/21/1171733770530.html?page=fullpage Fast facts found online] ''The Age''</ref><ref>[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/tech/personaltech/20061009-9999-mz1b9wikiped.html Wikipedia family feud rooted in San Diego] ''The San Diego Union-Tribune''</ref><ref name=NYTMWIOH>[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/10/arts/10wiki.html?pagewanted=print&position= Mudslinging Weasels Into Online History] ''The New York Times''</ref> and former options trader<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2007Mar25/0,4675,WikipediaAlternative,00.html Wikipedia Co-Founder Seeks to Start Over] Fox News</ref> who in 2001, with the money he earned through the Bomis<ref>[http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080328/BIZ/803280327 Wikipedia at a crossroads] ''Mail Tribune''</ref> pornography ring,<ref>[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/17/jimmy_wales_shot_dead_says_wikipedia/ Wikipedia founder 'shot by friend of Siegenthaler'] ''The Register''</ref> co-founded the open-source online encyclopedia [[Wikipedia]] along with philosophy professor Larry Sanger.<ref name=NYTMWIOH/> Besides founding Wikipedia, which is officially a non-profit entity, Jimmy Wales also founded<ref name=SLS>[http://www.law.stanford.edu/calendar/details/995/Wikipedia%E2%80%99s%20Founder,%20Jimmy%20Wales,%20Comes%20to%20SLS/ Wikipedia’s Founder, Jimmy Wales, Comes to SLS] Stanford Law School</ref> the for-profit Wikia<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/programmes/hardtalk/7167943.stm Hardtalk Business: Jimmy Wales] ''BBC News''</ref><ref>[http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11484062 The free-knowledge fundamentalist] ''The Economist''</ref> in 2004.<ref name=SLS/> Wales is the ''de facto'' head of Wikipedia.<ref>[http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article1571519.ece Wikipedia founder launches rival online encyclopaedia], ''The Times'', March 26, 2007</ref>
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| − | ==Biography==
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| − | Jimmy Wales was born on August 7, 1966<ref name=BritannicaOnline/> in Huntsville, Alabama. His father was an employee in a grocery store and his mother and grandmother ran a small private school called the House of Learning,<ref name=TheAge>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/facts-and-friction/2007/04/21/1176697155451.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 Facts and friction: Wikipedia's quest for credibility] ''The Age''</ref> in the tradition of the one-room schoolhouse,<ref name=A&E>[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=201187 Jimmy Wales Biography] A&E Television Networks</ref> where Wales received his early education.<ref name=TheAge/> He later attended the Randolph School, a private school in Huntsville.<ref name=A&E/> He earned a bachelor's degree in finance (B.S.) from Auburn University and a master's degree (M.S.) from the University of Alabama. From 1994 to 2000, Wales was an options trader in the US city Chicago and earned enough money which allowed him to start his own Internet business.<ref name=BritannicaOnline/> In 1996,<ref>[http://www.bomis.com/about/bomis10year.html Bomis In Its 10th Year] Bomis.com</ref> he founded<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/07/19/BUGNPR2QFC1.DTL&type=tech You could look it up: He changed the world] ''San Fransisco Chronicle''</ref> the adult-oriented search portal Bomis,<ref name=A&E/> main interest of which was Internet pornography.<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ict-news/news/article.cfm?c_id=55&objectid=10368068 Wikipedia - separating fact from fiction] ''The New Zealand Herald''</ref> With the money he made through Bomis,<ref>[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ict-news/news/article.cfm?c_id=55&objectid=10475113&pnum=0 Mr Wikipedia's knowledge quest] ''The New Zealand Herald''</ref> Wales in March 2000 founded ''Nupedia'', a free online encyclopaedia<ref name=BritannicaOnline/> which was later closed down.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1192818/Wikipedia Wikipedia] ''Britannica Online''</ref> On January 15, 2001,<ref>Morley Winograd, Michael D. Hais, ''Millennial Makeover'', pp 237, Rutgers University Press, 2008, ISBN 9780813543017</ref> he co-founded Wikipedia along with Larry Sanger.<ref name=NYTMWIOH/> He openly acknowledges of being an [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivist]],<ref name="dob2">{{cite book|title=Who's Who In America: Diamond Edition - Publisher: Marquis Who's Who; 60th edition (12 October, [[2005]]) ISBN 978-0837969909}}</ref> which is a philosophy that holds laizzes-faire [[capitalism]] as the only morally legitimate political/economic system.
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| − | ==Controversies==
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| − | ===Attempt to erase Sanger's contribution===
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| − | Jimmy Wales tried to erase the role of Larry Sanger as co-founder of Wikipedia. On October 28, 2005, Wales edited his own biography article on Wikipedia. In this regard, American blogger, computer book author and web publisher Rogers Cadenhead drew attention to logs showing that Wales had <span class="plainlinks">[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wales&diff=26702273&oldid=26658959 removed phrases]</span> describing former Wikipedia employee Larry Sanger as a co-founder of the site.<ref name=cadenhead>[http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/news/2828/wikipedia-founder-looks-out-number-1 Wikipedia Founder Looks Out for Number 1] ''Cadenhead.org''</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Wales&diff=29849184&oldid=29772366 |title=Wikipedia diff showing modification by Jimmy Wales}}</ref> Sanger said that "having seen edits like this, it does seem that Jimmy is attempting to rewrite history. But this is a futile process because in our brave new world of transparent activity and maximum communication, the truth will be out".<ref name=WiredWFEOB>[http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69880 Wikipedia Founder Edits Own Bio] ''Wired News''</ref><ref name=cadenhead/><ref name=TTWFEH>[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article774973.ece Wikipedia founder edits himself] ''The Times''</ref>
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| − | ===Insertion of inaccurate information===
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| − | Wales was also caught to have changed references to Bomis in Wikipedia in a way which downplayed the sexual nature of some of his company's products. Cadenhead said that Bomis Babes was described as "soft-core pornography" by other Wikipedia editors, but Wales changed it to "adult content section" on September 4, and later twice removed references to pornography, instead describing it as "Bomis Babes blog based on Slashcode."<ref name=WiredWFEOB/> An article in the July 31, 2006, issue of ''The New Yorker'' magazine reported this matter, stating that Wales was "sensitive about references to the porn traffic on his Web portal".<ref name="Knowitall">[http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060731fa_fact Know It All] ''The New Yorker''</ref>
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| − | In these both cases, Wales claimed his alterations were intended to improve the accuracy of the articles. He apologized for editing his own biography, a practice generally disapproved at Wikipedia. Wales, in the interview with the ''Wired News'', said, "People should not do it, including me. I wish I had not done it".<ref name=WiredWFEOB/>
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| − | ===Rachel Marsden===
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| − | Another controversy associated with Jimmy Wales is the way in which he reported to have ended his relationship with conservative political columnist and television commentator Rachel Marsden.<ref>[http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3475722.ece Fury of a woman scorned – on Wikipedia] ''The Times'' March 4, 2008</ref>
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| − | ==References==
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| − | {{reflist|2}}
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| − | [[Category:Wikipedia]]
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| − | [[Category:Capitalists]]
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