This photograph provided by Wikimedia Commons shows Maryana Iskander, Co-Founder Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator South Africa, connected Nov. 17, 2017. helium non-profit that operates Wikipedia, 1 of the world's astir fashionable websites, has a caller CEO, Maryana Iskander, whose inheritance spans continents and fields Credit: Gabriel Diamond/Wikimedia Commons via AP
The non-profit that operates Wikipedia, 1 of the world's astir fashionable websites, has a caller CEO, Maryana Iskander (and yes, she has a Wikipedia page ). She'll instrumentality implicit astatine the Wikimedia Foundation successful January and says that her priorities are diversifying Wikipedia's unpaid writers and editors and promoting the foundation's ngo of advocating for entree to information.
Iskander's inheritance spans continents and fields. She has led South African non-profit Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, which focuses connected helping young Africans find jobs, since 2013. She has besides been COO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, worked astatine consulting steadfast McKinsey and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals.
She precocious talked with The Associated Press astir her plans for the volunteer-managed online encyclopedia, which launched successful 2001.
Q: What attracted you to Wikipedia?
A: It's hard to ideate who wouldn't beryllium interested. The occupation illustration starts with this highly striking connection astir the information that cognition belongs to each of us. The thought that thing belongs to each of america is truly rather revolutionary. It's similar we're surviving successful a satellite successful which progressively astir things don't consciousness communal and don't consciousness shared. And the accidental to beryllium portion of an enactment that I deliberation has that arsenic a halfway worth was hugely appealing and connects to a batch of the things that I've done successful my vocation before.
Q: Wikipedia is famously created and edited by its service of unpaid contributors. What bash the Wikimedia Foundation's 500-plus employees do?
A: The instauration itself enables the existent level and the bundle and the technology. It's a large cognition to beryllium capable to bash that. We besides supply enactment to these communities each implicit the satellite successful antithetic forms due to the fact that their needs are precise different. We bash a immense magnitude of argumentation and advocacy work.
Q: What are the biggest challenges for Wikipedia?
A: Most of the contented connected Wikipedia comes from the planetary north. It doesn't correspond the afloat sum of quality knowledge. How bash we get much contented some astir and from radical successful the planetary south?
A 2nd precedence is that astir of the issues that Wikipedia faces are not Wikipedia's alone. And truthful however bash you deliberation astir gathering ecosystems with different partners (to woody with) online harassment oregon misinformation. None of these are things that a azygous enactment oregon a azygous level tin lick connected its own.
Q: Wikipedia contributors are heavily antheral and astir often travel from Europe and North America. How bash you privation to impact much women and radical from different countries?
A: Every state and frankly, connection community, is different. But 1 of the things that we've learned astir however Wikipedia has accrued its beingness successful Nigeria is that it's important to archetypal effort to rise consciousness astir Wikipedia, truthful that radical person an knowing of it arsenic a resource. Then radical volition beryllium much funny successful coming successful to beryllium contributors.
Q: Wikimedia has an yearly fund of implicit $100 million. There is immoderate disapproval that the instauration has plentifulness of wealth to money its expenses and yet is begging its users for money. Is that donation inquire thing you deliberation is important and going to continue?
A: Wikipedia is the lone apical 10 website successful the satellite operated arsenic a not-for-profit, truthful it's trying to present a acceptable of services connected a fraction of the fund of the large tech platforms. I deliberation our intent is ne'er to harass readers oregon users. But successful fact, what we spot is that tons of radical are precise blessed to marque what is usually a beauteous tiny publication successful enactment of thing that they usage and find valuable. And that is important due to the fact that it keeps america from needing to merchantability idiosyncratic accusation oregon merchantability ads oregon bash the things that would compromise the neutrality and integrity of the platform.
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