The free flow of information is what makes the Internet so valuable. Having almost any piece of information available to you is a powerful. Students no longer had to go to libraries to find data and articles they needed for a report. Investors no longer had to call their broker to see current stock values. Citizens no longer had to wait for the morning or evening news broadcast or newspaper for the latest news.

Encyclopedias were the “to go” to source of information before the advent of the Internet. They contained information on almost every possible topic imaginable.

The need for an online encyclopedia became quickly apparent as the Internet grew at a rapid pace. The Internet became flooded with information of all types, some more reliable than others. There needed to be a single location to consolidate all “encyclopedic” information, while at the same time have the information reviewed for accuracy. This need created the genesis of Wikipedia.

Wikipedia is the largest online repository of reference work in the world. Creators Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched the website in 2001 and it quickly became one of the Internet’s most visited sites. Wikipedia exists on the principles of crowd sourcing where anyone can contribute to any given topic. Fact checkers verify the information adding to the reliability of the information.

Many of the criticisms of Wikipedia derive from the very fact that it is crowd sourced. Critics state that the information on Wikipedia contains many inaccuracies and biases, despite its peer review system. Other criticisms include poor quality of writing.

Despite the critics, Wikipedia continues to grow (as of 2010). Wikipedia is now published in several different languages and has a foundation built around it. Wikipedia is a perfect example of what many people call the “democratization of knowledge,” where anyone can access any piece of information at any time.