Should Wikipedia Display Ads Instead Of Relying On Donations?

I wrote an article on VoiCE : #-Link-Snipped-# and thought of starting a debate to see what CEans think about the topic.

With the reach of Wikipedia a single leaderboard on the top would earn Wikipedia about $100 million every year. That money can go into running Wikipedia and even giving it to charity.

Do you think Wikipedia should display advertisements on the site [not too many, just a banner at the top] and give the profits to the charity?

Have your say in this thread.

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  • shreyasm89
    shreyasm89

    @shreyasm89-jGobVm • Jan 20, 2011

    Yes they should, considering the fact that they are providing knowledge services to almost everyone on the planet and they deserve to be compensated for it, atleast they should earn enough to fund the Wikimedia Foundation.

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  • optimystix
    optimystix

    @optimystix-4yMPKC • Jan 20, 2011

    i agree with shreyas

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  • Pensu
    Pensu

    @pensu-8tNeGU • Jan 20, 2011

    I have a different thought about this. The power of Wikipedia is thousands of volunteers who update its content, and i think this is because of its non-profit organization image. Obviously, i wouldn't want to work for a organization who is making money from my work. And once its image is ruined, the whole thing would be vanished. No matter how much money you give in charity, you are still making money from people's work and thats something, at least I, wouldn't prefer.

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  • Ankita Katdare
    Ankita Katdare

    @abrakadabra • Jan 20, 2011

    I think they should refrain from putting up ads on the Wikipedia articles.
    It would definitely disturb me while reading.
    They should continue going for corporate sponsorships.

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  • optimystix
    optimystix

    @optimystix-4yMPKC • Jan 21, 2011

    advertisements on websites do irritate a lot but a single leaderboard on top doesn't matter much as long as they keep rest of the page clean. and if that helps in generating funds then it shouldn't be a problem.

    the common man may not like Wiki earning funds from their work but what if they aren't able to generate enough to maintain their data centre and maintenance costs and have to shut down? I am fine with them generating funds as long as they keep the services free for people to access.

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