Even by the standards of the dot-com universe, Wikipedia has been an especially bold enterprise.
It was bold to hope that many thousands of people would give of their time to build encyclopedia entries in return for not so much as a byline.
It was bold to presume that this anonymous community would police itself well enough to create a resource of surprising detail and accuracy.
Even its fundraising efforts are nerveless and edgy; last year, Wikipedia tested a banner ad, displayed prominently at the top of every page, that read: “Admit it – without Wikipedia, you never could have finished that report. Click here to keep Wikipedia free for future students.”
This roll-call of audacity notwithstanding, Wikipedia’s latest move may be its boldest yet.
A few days ago, a German chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation announced plans to apply for a UNESCO World Heritage label, arguing that the site “is a masterpiece of human creative genius and is also of universal human value”.
http://www.firstpost.com/ideas/wikipedias-bold-bid-for-world-heritage-status-17462.html
