Keep information free

I don’t often use this blog as a platform to push “agendas” (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever used this blog for that purpose [not bad for being around for three years!]), but today, I’m breaking my self-imposed rule.  It’s for a good cause, though – and the end of the story does make me smile, so technically this post is still in alignment with the overall “mission” of this blog space.  🙂  Okay, enough hedging – here goes:

This morning I was looking for some info, so I popped onto Wikipedia – and when I got there, I saw a message that read (in part), “Wikipedia is the #5 site on the web and serves 500 million different people every month – with 175 employees. Wikipedia could have been created as a for-profit company – but by keeping it a nonprofit, it stays ‘agenda-free’, and strives not to make money, but to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone. If everyone reading Wikipedia donated $3, our fundraiser would be done within an hour.”

It was that last sentence that got me. Just $3 to keep information free? Hell yeah! I immediately logged on to PayPal, and gave the Wikipedia crew three measly dollars. Now here’s the “agenda” part of this post: I challenge each of you to do the same. If you are reading this message, I know for a fact that you can afford $3. Skip your morning coffee – boom, $3 right there. 

In the thank you note I received from the Wikipedia crew (seconds after clicking “Send” and confirming my money transfer) was this sentence: “Your donation makes the world a better place.”

You better believe it.

The feeling of satisfaction I received simply by taking five seconds to help do good for others definitely made me feel good.  I posted this sentiment to Facebook, and challenged my online friends to kick in $3 to the good folks at Wikipedia – and this evening, I saw that my dad, my uncle, and one of my blogging pals (who lives in Spain!) accepted the challenge and sent their $3 (or the euro equivalent).  So cool!  Seeing other people support a cause I believe in made me feel even better than supporting it myself.

So now I’m curious: how many more people can I get to toss up $3 to Wikipedia?  Of course there are so many worthy groups to give money to (and if you want a list, I can share with you all of the other groups I have donated to so far this year – I’d love for other people to back them, too!), but this one provides the invaluable gift of knowledge to millions of people all over the world – many of whom would simply not have access to information were it not for free online resources.  And the Wikipedia crew is asking for such a tiny amount of cash – donating just seems like the ‘right’ thing to do.

If you choose not to donate, of course I’ll still like you.  🙂  But if you do choose to donate, can you please “like” this post and/or toss a quick comment beneath it?  I’d love to amass more smiles for me as Wikipedia takes in more cash for their awesome work.

Thanks everyone!

Stef