Computer Support Blog

Wikipedia is one of the one of the most used sites on the Internet.  A major part of how that reality came to be is how easy it is to keep information up to date on the site.  The “wiki” format of the website allows all users to edit and review information.  This fact means that people can constantly update and double-check all articles on the site.  While this format has proven to be incredibly useful for Wikipedia’s encyclopedic purposes, a cool product called BrainKeeper wants to apply it to another purpose.  BrainKeeper provides businesses with internal wiki sites where they can store all corporate information.  Employees can then edit the company’s internal wiki powered by BrainKeeper every time a policy change happens or anything of significant importance occurs.  Office tech support assistance will be necessary for any less technically inclined employees who have trouble updating information through BrainKeeper’s system. Read more »

Outside protecting business interests, there are remarkably few executives in the tech sector who make bold or frequent political statements.  In fact, the marketing gurus in the tech sector work very hard to make technology apolitical; the market should be everyone.  So, it is a rare thing when one’s personal politics overtly guide their corporate policy within the tech sector.  The fact that his loud dedication to free access to information clearly guides Wikipedia makes Jimmy Wales an exception to the status quo in the tech sector! Read more »

Today, Wikipedia is dark in the United States.  While Wikipedia users have been subject to pleas for money and frequently unsupported articles, this is the first time Wikipedia has ever made an overtly political move.  Wikipedia is the highest profile Internet site participating in the online protest against SOPA.  Yesterday, Alexa had Wikipedia rated as the sixth most popular website in the world.  Participation in the Internet protest against SOPA is elevated by Wikipedia’s participation.

Bravo to Wikipedia!

For those unfamiliar with the issue, the Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill the United States Senate is currently debating.  It is the Senate equivalent of the House’s Protect IP Act.  The stated goal of SOPA is to protect the intellectual property of those who use the Internet for advertising and media distribution.  Critics of SOPA and PIPA argue that the methods written into the bills range from dramatic overkill – the ability for the United States Federal Government to seize servers that pirated materials pass through – to utterly ineffective, i.e. the attempt for the U.S. to moderate a worldwide network like the Internet.  Even many of SOPA and PIPAs supporters are queasy or unclear about what the law, if executed, would actually mean for Freedom Of Speech.

Wikipedia is obstructing all access to its site today as part of a protest against SOPA and PIPA.  The metaphor is an apt one and the educational potential is incredible.  Of course, Wikipedia’s blacking out the site is meant to illustrate that should Congress pass SOPA, sites like Wikipedia could be shut down abruptly and with much less respect than the protest did (users were notified over a day in advance that Wikipedia would be participating).  For those not hip to the issue, visiting Wikipedia today and discovering it dark affords Wikipedia the unparalleled ability to educate its users.  By providing users with information as to what SOPA proposes Wikipedia might just wake up the sleeping giant that is the American electorate.

While some might argue that it is inappropriate for Wikipedia to stage such a protest, the Wikimedia Foundation’s statement on the subject is remarkably articulate.  There, the site’s controlling board point out that, making SOPA into law would dramatically impact Wikipedia and that, because the site is not beholden to stockholders, they ought to raise their voice.  With ironclad logic like that it seems particularly cowardly that Facebook, the #2 site on the Internet, did not participate as well.  As a haven for even the most banal free speech, the passage of SOPA would certainly affect Facebook as well.

At this point, SOPA is virtually dead in the Senate and President Obama has done everything but explicitly state that he will veto SOPA should it reach his desk.  Too often, though, we look at history and wonder why people did not speak up while sweeping changes robbed citizens of their lives, liberties or property.  Today, Wikipedia stands up and the Internet is better for it.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com

Regular Wikipedia users have probably noticed the large banner at the top of each page that says, “Please Read: a personal appeal from Wikipedia programmer Brandon Harris.” Naturally, given our curious nature, many of us have clicked on the banner—probably even knowing in the back of our minds what was coming. And sure enough, Wikipedia then proceeds to ask for money.

Oddly enough, many people actually take the time to read the appeal, and many even think about contributing some money. What ends up happening, though, is that despite the sincere desire to help donate, we either put it off or fall prey to the false notion that other people will do it.

However, if you actually are interested in donating, don’t wait to contribute what you can to the website. Because Wikipedia’s annual fundraiser is not just an attempt to raise extra funds and is, instead, absolutely essential to the website’s survival, it is important to take the appeal seriously.

The organization raises money to cover its basic operating costs, not to give CEOs massive raises. The donated money goes to pay for basic website maintenance and computer support for Wikipedia’s 679 servers. Unlike Google or Yahoo, Wikipedia is run by a staff of 95. It’s also ad-free, something which the organization has pledged to try to continue. As such, if we don’t continue to support Wikipedia financially, we might soon find ourselves without the website.

It’s hard to imagine what life was like before Wikipedia. Where did people get their background knowledge on little-know authors or historical figures? Where did readers find out how parliamentary elections worked in Egypt or how NATO came to be? There’s no doubt that the relatively simple concept of Wikipedia has become a staple in almost everyone’s online activity.

Of course, over the years, Wikipedia has had many critics. In academia, especially, citing Wikipedia remains a huge faux pas. Nonetheless, the free online encyclopedia is often a helpful tool in gaining some background knowledge, and it often contains links to other resources that students can cite. Sure, some of the information on Wikipedia is wrong or misleading, but that’s merely a fraction of the millions of pages of its data on.

Wikipedia brings together everything in one place. Imagine how difficult life would be if we had to search in dozens or hundreds of databanks for scattered information.

According to the website, over 400 million users visit the site each month, and it’s the fifth biggest website online. So if you’d like to see Wikipedia continue growing and serving millions of users with its billions of page views, donate today. The little money you provide will go a long way towards website tech support and enhancement. Ultimately, it is we, the readers, who gain.

About RESCUECOM:

RESCUECOM provides computer repair and computer support, 24/7: Meeting every tech support need including data recovery, virus removal, networking, wireless services, and computer support for all brands of hardware and software. For computer support or information on products, services, or computer repair, visit https://www.rescuecom.com or call 1-800-RESCUE-PC.

For More Information, Contact:

David Milman, CEO

315-882-1100

david@rescuecom.com