What is with this Wikipedia needs money?

I always see those messages, now it's something like, Wikipedia still can't be sold, something along the lines of if you gave $2.75 and it will be too late to help in their year-end fundraiser. Sooo is this something they just do every year or if Wikipedia doesn't get money it shuts down? It's not clear on the website.

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NativePortlander1970

It's an annual scam fundraiser, as far as I'm concerned it can fail as a site for all of their mis/disinformation.

https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/11/04/debunkers-debunked-who-fact-checks-fact-checkers-14378

https://www.makeuseof.com/why-wikipedia-not-as-credible-you-think/

twiigss · M

@NativePortlander1970 The problem with Wikipedia is anyone can edit and change information at will.

Way back in the 1990's, Microsoft released an encyclopedia program for the computer called Encarta. They discontinued the program in 2000 and Wikipedia is supposed to be the replacement for Encarta.

Wikipedia certainly does not have an encyclopedia format in my opinion, but there's times when I've used it to get information about certain things.

NativePortlander1970

@twiigss Exactly my point, ANYONE , which means that they can put anything they want according to their own views and beliefs, whether it's actually accurate or not, University Profs are still failing students for using the site as a source. I remember Encarta, I had a CD ROM set back in the day.

twiigss · M

@NativePortlander1970 yeah we used to have Encarta 94, and I got that working in Windows 3.1 in dosbox. They shouldn't have ended Encarta in my opinion.