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   𝓻𝓻𝓪 (rra@post.lurk.org)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 01:15:16 JST 𝓻𝓻𝓪

   • Marta

   In light of US tech oligarchy setting its sights on Wikimedia Foundation, a historical detail I did not know before: #Wikipedia became the non-profit it is today partly as the result of a labour strike of Spanish Wikipedia editors who disagreed with the proposed inclusion of advertisements. Initially, it was not clear what revenue model Wikipedia would get, and Wales moved towards a for-profit model already a year after launch. However, rather than working for free, so Jimmy Wales could profit from their labour via advertising, Spanish contributors forked Spanish Wikipedia as the Encyclopedia Libre Universal. Under the threat of losing the editorial community of such a large language, Wales conceded and set up the non-profit.

   That is to say, however imperfect they are, all the digital commons we have are the result of ongoing struggle and hard work to keep them as commons.

   Via Las Redes Son Nuestras (https://www.consonni.org/es/publicaciones/las-redes-son-nuestras) by @teclista

   • clacke and MortSinyx like this.
   • Michał "rysiek" Woźniak · 🇺🇦, anban and clacke repeated this.
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     Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: (tk@bbs.kawa-kun.com)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 01:36:39 JST Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:

     in reply to

     • Steven Sandoval

     @rra @baltakatei

     In light of US tech oligarchy setting its sights on Wikimedia Foundation, a historical detail I did not know before

     Is this a recent development? :blobfoxdisgust:

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     Herzleid (herzleid@wandering.shop)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 02:20:43 JST Herzleid

     in reply to

     • Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:

     @tk They want to eliminate everything they cannot own & control. Musk et al. made some noise about Wiki before/around the US election and now it's intensifying. Any outlet that does not comply with the oligarchy's version of reality is under threat. 🤷

     (If you're asking about the "historical detail", OP is referring to the Spanish labour strike, not the tech oligarchs' ambitions.)

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     Steven Sandoval (baltakatei@twit.social)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 02:23:22 JST Steven Sandoval

     in reply to

     • Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem:

     @tk @rra Looks like the Encyclopedia Libre Universal fork occurred back in 2002, with Wales's desire to create a for-profit encyclopedia being satisfied by his establishment of Wikicities (later renamed Wikia, then Fandom) in 2004.

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enciclopedia_Libre_Universal_en_Espa%C3%B1ol

     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fandom_(website)

     Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: and Doughnut Lollipop 【記録係】:blobfoxgooglymlem: like this.
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     𝓻𝓻𝓪 (rra@post.lurk.org)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 08:27:15 JST 𝓻𝓻𝓪

     in reply to

     • Robert W. Gehl
     • __nate__
     • Marta

     Wow this struck a chord, it seems I was not the only one who was not aware of this story!

     Some additional info:

     @teclista shared that the protagonists are on the fedi as well (of course they are!):
     https://mas.to/@teclista/113872887620692513

     @__nate__ wrote about the episode in several papers (for example: https://networkcultures.org/cpov/2011/01/15/spanish_fork/) and also a book: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/W/bo19085555.html

     @rwg also wrote about the episode in a book:
     https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt14bssk4.9

     "in the light of US tech oligarchy setting its sights on Wikimedia Foundation" was referring to things such as https://hachyderm.io/@molly0xfff/113868325221306547

     Finally, I don't have a soundcloud to promote, but I'd really like to see the first paid position for Trust & Safety on the fediverse get funded:
     https://givebutter.com/givingmastodon

     please chip in if you care about digital commons

     Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: and clacke like this.
     anban repeated this.
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     Javier de la Cueva (jdelacueva@mastodon.social)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jan-2025 22:12:04 JST Javier de la Cueva

     in reply to

     • Robert W. Gehl
     • __nate__
     • Marta

     @rra @teclista @__nate__ @rwg

     More references: Corsín and Estalella wrote a very good story describing our struggle for the commons: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501767180/free-culture-and-the-city/#bookTabs=1