4 December 2008

This is a blog item that needs to be converted to the new Bliki format

Wikipedia Gets $890K to make editing easier!

Concerned that many would-be contributors to Wikipedia are being scared away, the Wikimedia foundation that runs the online encyclopedia is getting a US$890,000 grant to try to make the editing process more user-friendly.

Anyone can contribute to Wikipedia, but clicking on the "edit" button brings up a jumble of coding mixed with plain English paragraphs.

There are buttons on the top of the page that eliminate any need for users to write their own code, but the Wikimedia Foundation has acknowledged for several years that the unfamiliar feel of the editing process probably turns off people who could otherwise make valuable contributions.

• Source: NZ Herald - Andrew Vanacore