is not a technological innovation but a social one, declares its co-founder Jimmy Wales in the preface to this book. What follows in this history of the online encyclopedia – the only one of the world’s 10 most popular sites not run by a corporation – illustrates that nicely. The author, a senior community member of the project, can’t entirely ignore the technology that made it possible, but his book is mainly about people, whether visitors writing articles or Wales and others shaping a strategy that first made other encyclopedias laugh then stole their business. It describes the development of the community that made this turnaround happen.
It is at times too encyclopedic itself, with isolated fact-packed entries not linked into a wider story. Fortunately, Lih’s , giving readers the power to choose their own end to the tale.
The Wikipedia Revolution
Aurum/Hyperion